


Bloodbath.

by WhatTheWentz



Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Based of SPN: Bloodlines, Child Abuse, Enzo wasn't tortured (YAY), F/F, F/M, Human Elena, Jeremy/Kol are cute little (not) emos, M/M, Matt isn't really in the gang, Murder, Music, Not in MF, Self-Harm, Sorry for this shit, Stefan VS Damon, The Originals are the bosses, beatings, no Augustines, self hatred, set in chicago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-03-20 18:28:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 62,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3660651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatTheWentz/pseuds/WhatTheWentz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The supernatural world is torn into separate factions in Chicago; the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, hunters, the hybrids, and finally, the rulers of them all, the Original family of vampires, who are indestructible, and keep the hybrids as their servants, and hunters ready for execution on people who break rules.  The only issue is that the vampires are also split into two different sides; Stefan and Damon Salvatore’s sides.  The brothers have been rivals ever since they were born, but when they both fell for Katherine Pierce, and were turned, their family bond was shattered.  Alongside his lover and commandante, Lorenzo, Damon is trying desperately to bring down his brother’s side, no matter who is to be murdered in the process.  But on his side is Katherine’s human doppelganger, Elena Gilbert.  Will he kill Elena?  Or will he be able to corrupt her, and convince her how twisted her Saint Stefan really is?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a very AU story I dreamt up, probably going to be shit:)

 

The world has changed. Supernatural creatures all over the world are no longer banded against each other, werewolves are now living in peace with vampires, the latter often helping them lock up on a full moon. This was organised by the Mikaelson family, the eldest existing vampires, who after a millenia of seeing creature fight creature, vampires slaughtering werewolves, got very frustrated. Using their superior powers, they placed each supernatural group into their own places. Only there were two vampires who fought so much, they ripped the group in half.  
Stefan and Damon Salvatore, who ever since re-birth, had been put against each other, wishing the other dead.  
Klaus Mikaelson, the most terrifying and powerful Original, a hybrid, had only one main rule -- you were not allowed to kill another supernatural being without them committing a crime first -- if you disobeyed this, you would have hybrids, witches and hunters sent to hunt you down, and if it was a particularly severe murder, one of the Mikaelsons themselves would find you and tear you apart.  
The other family members were just as menacing, with Elijah, who would vow to kill you, and he never ever breaks his word, Rebekah, who could rip you to shreds whilst painting her nails, Finn, who was an excellent manipulator, and Kol, who was psychotic.  
Damon resided in a massive mansion alongside his trusted lover and best friend, Lorenzo Addison, and other friend, Alaric Saltzman, whilst Stefan stayed in a bungalow with his girlfriend Elena Gilbert.  
Neither brother would rest until the other’s reputation was in ruins, and the Mikaelsons would hopefully be there to kill them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made the cover art thingy there, I'm trying to become alright at editing.


	2. Chapter One - Stars Are Only Visible In Darkness

Chapter One - Stars Are Only Visible In Darkness

“Enzo?” Damon called, looking around the second floor of four in his mansion for his lover, “Enzo, where are you?”

He continued to walk through the marble-floored corridors, his black mop of hair brushed carefully to the side. He pulled his leather jacket tightly around himself, wondering where his lover was.

He heard the front door creak open, and blurred downstairs, seeing an exhausted and wounded Lorenzo tiptoe in, jumping when he saw the elder vampire.

“Damon.” the British vampire winced, “Hello.”

Damon looked up and down the other, “What happened? You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.” Enzo shuffled past his boyfriend, managing a few steps before stumbling, nearly falling, only to be caught by Damon.

He coughed up a small bit of blood and wiped his eyes, and the elder brought them both into the lounge, sitting them on the couch, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around the younger after seeing him shivering. Two fingers rested softly against Enzo’s cheek, feeling the coldness of the younger’s normally olive skin. He was now pale, his face streaked with blood, his black hair falling in different directions.

Damon took his hands and kissed them, “What happened, baby?”

“I--I…” Enzo’s eyes stared blankly at the floor, “Stefan’s friends, Lexi and Anna attacked me. I got away, but they managed to do a number o-on me first. I-- I’m sorry, mate, I should’ve just come straight home, but I had to go through the t-”

Damon put a finger to his lips, other fingers making him look at him, “It’s okay, baby. Stefan’s gonna pay for this.”

“Damon…” Enzo sighed, “You can’t kill him without dying yourself. I’m not gonna let you get killed by the Mikaelsons, I can’t let that happen.”

Damon rested his forehead against Enzo, “Dying would be worth it for you.”

“Don’t be a martyr.” Enzo crossed his arms over his chest, pouting, “Especially for me.”

Damon pecked those lips, “But I love you.”

“And I love you.” Enzo’s honey eyes were wide and adorable, like massive plates, “And that’s why I’m concerned.” he stroked Damon’s hair, “Stefan’s playing dirty. He’s coming after me, which means he’ll come for Ric too.” Enzo sighed, “You’ve gotta be ready, and careful. If he gets me--”

Damon nuzzled his cheek, “The Mikaelsons will tear him limb from limb, and they’ll have to take me too, because I can’t live without you.”

Lorenzo pressed his lips to Damon, a fleeting, quick kiss that broke off in a quick second, Enzo’s tiny breaths absorbing the air between their mouths. Damon went in for another kiss, this time more lasting and passionate, and Enzo clambered his way onto Damon’s lap, still weak, but being held up by those warm hands that were beginning to roam under his shirt. Enzo let out a tiny moan, and suddenly, there was a knock at the living room door.

“Am I interrupting?” Alaric stood in the ajar crack of the door, his dark hair spiked up, wearing a tuxedo.

Enzo gave a short laugh, clambering off the elder’s legs, “Um, no… You going out? You’ve sure scrubbed up well. Maybe you really are serious about this Jenna girl.”

 

“I love her, ass.” Ric walked over to the other chair, “Where is it…?” he fumbled around, then picked up something, looking excessively proud of himself, “There it is.” he pulled out a stake, sliding it into his sheath on his ankle, under his trousers.

Damon’s eyebrows raised, “I sincerely hope you don’t use that on her.” he looked at Enzo, “That’s some fucked up Fifty Shades shit, I mean, even we aren’t that kinky.”

“Shut up, assholes.” Alaric rolled his eyes, “I love this girl. I know, she may be Elena’s aunt, but still…”

Enzo looked confused, “Wait, Elena as in ‘always crying, Stefan’s girl’ Elena?”

“Yes.” Alaric confirmed, then looked at Enzo’s wounds, “What the hell happened to you, Grumpy Cat?”

Enzo groaned, “Well, your golden girl Elena’s boyfriend got his mates to batter me. They’re both older than me too. My back hurts like a bitch.”

 

“Look, I like Elena’s brother, Jeremy.” Alaric stated, “He’s in my History class.”

Damon sighed, “Is that the emo dude?”

“He’s not that emo.” Alaric replied, “He’s just troubled. His parents were run off a bridge last summer.”

Enzo crossed his arms, “I’ve seen that kid. He’s more emo than 2007 Pete Wentz. Or any era Gerard Way.” 

“Is that even possible?” Alaric asked, “Shit… I gotta go. See you dudes later.”

 

Enzo called after him as he dashed out, “Good luck and wear a bloody condom!” he lowered his voice when the front door shut, “Humans and their sex.”

 

“We’re not as animalistic.” Damon joked, dusting kisses over Enzo’s shoulder, “Are we?”

Enzo gave a short laugh, “Now that’s a lie. We shag more than a bloody pornstar. Only thing is we don’t get paid. You just inherited all this money.”

“Do you remember our first meeting?” Damon asked, “We were both arrested on suspicion of murder, which we both committed, and we both broke out, then fucked in the Hotel Room for the first time. That was before Klaus and the Looney Tunes took over the place, when the majority of the family were still daggered, where they should’ve been.”

Enzo looked worried, “Damon, be careful what you say. You don’t want them hearing this. Especially the youngest bloke, you know, Kol? He’s got a bloody terrifying temper…”

\--

“Kol!” Elijah called up the stairs, “Kol Mikaelson, turn that din down, we have guests in half an hour!”

Kol sat on a bean chair, head rested back against the pillow as he listened to Bring Me The Horizon’s latest album… very loudly. He hummed along, his foot tapping against the ground to the beat of the band’s song Can You Feel My Heart.

“Kol!” his other brother, Finn, burst in, “Did you not hear Elijah?”

Kol groaned, looking up, then sassily replied, “I heard him, but I didn’t really listen. Mainly because he’s a boring arsehole. Just like you, brother.”

“You are unbelievable.” Finn turned off the CD player, ignoring Kol’s protests, “You’re a disappointment too. Get ready, we have Stefan Salvatore and the two Gilbert children here soon.”

Kol’s head tilted, and he smirked, “The humans?”

 

“Don’t you dare even think about it.” warned Finn, “Remember when you threatened to stake Sage? The whipping you got?”

Kol muttered, “I’m still planning that redheaded bitch’s demise…”

“Excuse me?” Finn backhanded Kol hard, “You know, if it’s the coffin you want, I’ll just tell Niklaus.”

Kol narrowed his eyes, “Of course you would. Always betraying me, this fucking family…”

“Language!” Finn chastised.

Kol snapped back in French, “Allez vous faire foutre!” he cocked his head, “You didn’t learn French in those 900 years sleeping, did you? Basically, it means, screw you. I mean, the only chick you can get is Sage, and to be honest, I wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot p--”

Finn’s hand grabbed the back of his neck and threw him hard into the wall, and his ribs protested from the force of the throw, as did the wall. Finn stomped over, grabbing him by the hair and forcing him to look at him.

“Now head my words, you pathetic, idiotic child.” he pulled his brother up, “You will obey me and your other elder brothers for the rest of the day at least, otherwise I will belt you until you’re black and blue.” Kol struggled in his grasp, “Do you hear me? Are you capable of behaving for just one bloody day?”

Kol nodded, “Yes, yes, okay!”

“Good.” Finn chucked him to the floor, “Change your clothes, they’ll be here soon. Who knows? You may even befriend Jeremy Gilbert.”

 

Kol held his aching ribs, “Not likely. I don’t make friends.”

“Simply because you refuse to go to school.” Finn retorted.

Kol shuddered in a painful breath as he began to heal, “I’m a thousand years old.”

“Rebekah attends.” Finn stated.

Kol rolled his eyes, “Well, she’s a blonde, she needs it.”

“Don’t be so rude, and get changed.” Finn commanded, “Lunch is downstairs if you want it.”

Kol asked, “How is Matt? I think I may have severed an artery last time.”

“He healed.”

-

Kol stood in the kitchen, detaching his mouth from Matt’s bloody throat. The blond also stood, his body swaying side to side, as if he was drunk. A tiny droplet of blood was running down Kol’s chin as he looked at the human. He bit into his wrist, then fed Matt the blood pulsing from his own arm. The bite marks healed over on the slightly shorter man’s neck, and Kol looked into his eyes.

“Go entertain yourself.” Kol said, and like a robot, the other boy responded monotonously ‘Yes Master’ before slipping out the room.

Kol wiped his chin, making sure he got no blood onto his grey hooded top, and he saw Rebekah shuffle her way into the kitchen.

“Kol, word of advice,” she began, “Play music at three in the morning again, and I may just drown you.”

 

Kol retorted, “That wasn’t advice, that was just a threat. You can tell that you’re blonde!”

“Right children!” Niklaus called into the room, chinking his champagne glass, “The guests have arrived.”

Kol groaned and walked into the great hall, seeing Stefan and Elena walk in, followed by Jeremy, who was awkwardly shadowing them both.

“Elena, darling!” Elijah walked over and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek, greeting her, “How have you been?”

She replied, smiling, “Oh, I’ve -- we’ve been fine.” she looked at Stefan adoringly, “In fact, we’ve gotten engaged.” she showed off her diamond ring.

“That’s fabulous!” Klaus smiled, “Now, my sweethearts, lets talk Damon.”

Elena looked at Jeremy, “Jer? Do you want to go into the living room?”

 

“Actually, he and Kol could go upstairs if they wish?” Finn looked towards his younger brother, eyes hardening, “Kol has some music, and computer games. The boy’s spoilt.”

Elena smiled towards her younger brother, “Jeremy? Would you like to go talk with Kol whilst we talk to the other Originals, honey?”

“Yeah, whatever…” came the muffled reply.

Jeremy walked over to Kol, and the Mikaelson saw that he was drowning in a black hoodie, his face barely even visible, tufts of brown hair sticking out of the hood.

“What bands do you like?” Kol asked as they ascended the stairs, trying to break the awkward silence.

Jeremy shrugged, “MCR, Bring Me The Horizon, shit like that. But I’m not emo. God, I hate that fucking word.”

“Me too.” they began walking down the corridor to Kol’s room, “Do you like Of Mice and Men and Paramore too?”

Jeremy replied, “Of Mice and Men are cool, and I only really like Paramore’s older stuff. Marilyn Manson’s pretty awesome. And BVB.”

“All Time Low.” Kol smirked, “I once compelled myself into a Papa Roach concert.”

Jeremy let out a huff of laughter, “Cool. I went to see Fall Out Boy. And I’ve watched Sleeping With Sirens.” they continued to venture, “How big is this fucking house?”

“It’s the biggest house in Chicago, Nik compelled his way here.” Kol sighed, “I get exhausted too. I have to cross the whole house to borrow Bekah’s straighteners when I want flippy hair instead of spiked up or horrendously curly.”

They finally reached Kol’s room, Jeremy was exhausted. They walked in, Jeremy pulling down his hood, revealing his medium length hair. Kol could notice how flustered he was with the heat and arched an eyebrow.

“You not going to take that off?” he asked, “It’s like a bleedin’ sauna in here.”

Jeremy tilted his head, “Thought that you vamps don’t feel the heat?”

“Touche.” Kol sat on his beanchair, and Jeremy sat on his bed, “You’re going red from the heat, and you’re sweating.”

Jeremy shrugged, “I’m fine, I guess.”

“You don’t have to pretend with me, Gilbert.” Kol’s eyes wandered to his hidden wrist, “They new? They sure smell it.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened, “You can’t let them hear you!”

Kol rolled his own eyes, and turned on his music, blasting it loud enough so the other vampires wouldn’t hear, “You happy? Well, I guess not, but still.”

“You don’t understand.” Jeremy’s knees raised up to his chest, and he sighed, “My parents are dead, and I feel so alone.”

Kol sighed, slightly angered “Believe me, I do understand. Parents are dead -- well, my Father is desiccated, and I’ve been raised… harshly by Finn, and my elder brothers. They learned that punishment is meant to be violent from my dear old Dad, and if I so much as breathe wrong, I get the belt or something. You know my face, not my story, mate.”

“I-- I’m sorry.” Jeremy looked down into his knees, “Stefan’s hardly friendly to me either. He’s very controlling. Also, the kids at school pick on me, especially the supernatural ones.”

Kol huffed, “It’s why I don’t go. Wouldn’t last a day without killing a bitch.”

 

“Kol?” Jeremy’s voice was small, “H-Have you ever…?” he broke off.

Kol’s voice lowered, “Cuts don’t last on my skin. They heal immediately. But, yeah. Nearly every day since I was undaggered by Elijah in 2011.”

“Why?” Jeremy queried, “Why did you start?”

Kol shrugged, “I guess being forced to sleep, and Finn awakening to hear about my behavior had an effect on me. Yourself?”

“Well, being told my Uncle that my Mom died instantly from a broken neck, whilst my Dad drowned isn’t the best thing I experienced.” Jeremy’s breath softly hitched, “Elena was a wreck, and everything built up, and I just couldn’t take it anymore.” He looked up, grief on his face, “C-Can we just change the subject?”

Kol nodded, “Yeah, this is getting really depressing. So, and this might be the foundation of our friendship. Who do you prefer as vocalist for KSE?”

“Actually, I prefer both.” Jeremy replied.

Kol laughed, “Me too!”

“I wonder what they’re saying downstairs…” Jeremy mumbled.

Kol’s ears perked as he listened to the voices downstairs, picking up some of the conversation and sentences.

‘ “Damon is a very ignorant man, but we have yet a reason to kill him, hahaha”  
“Indeed, Kol is a very troubled boy, Elena.”  
“So is Jer, he’s not been the same since--” ’

“They’re talking about us both.” Kol rolled his eyes.

Jeremy crossed his arms, “Wonderful.”

“Well, I’m already the family disappointment, so I’m used to it.” Kol sighed, “I hate it here.”

Jeremy arched an eyebrow, “Seriously? You’re like, the prince of the supernaturals.”

“I don’t want to be.” Kol looked down, “I detest this job.”

Jeremy looked at the boy on the beanbag, “Hey, you should go to school, man. I mean, Rebekah, your sister, goes. I’m in serious need of friends.”

 

“Who said we were mates?” Kol asked, smirking.

Jeremy stammered, “W-Well…-”

“Relax, kid, I’m joking.” Kol smiled, “I’ll consider it. Because I need to get out of this shithole for at least a few hours.”

Stefan called up, voice booming, “Jeremy! Time to go!”

“Okay!” Jeremy sighed, getting up, “Speaking of shitholes, I must go to my own. See ya whenever, maybe at school even.”

Kol smiled, “Bye, mate.”

Jeremy slipped out of his room, and Kol kept grinning, despite his ribs still working to heal. He laid back in his chair, humming to his CD again, his eyes blinking shut. He had actually made a friend who didn’t fear him.

Matt knocked on the door, jutting Kol out of his daze. He heard the front door shut, and got up, frustrated. Matt had a thing going on with Rebekah, but that didn’t change how annoying he truly was.

“Master… Rebekah told me I have to leave.” he murmured, “I can’t be your bloodbag anymore, I won’t!”

Kol gave a short laugh, “You do what I say, Matt Donovan. Unless you want killed.”

“I’d rather die than be your slave!” Matt cried.

Kol tilted his head, fangs slipping out, eyes reddening with lust for blood, “Be careful what you wish for, Matt.”

The human gasped in fright and darted down to the top of the stairs, where he was blindsided by Kol, who grabbed him by the throat, biting deep into the human’s throat, his terrifyingly sharp fangs tearing the veins. The human cried out, alerting the family, and they all blurred to the bottom of the staircase.

“Matt!” Rebekah covered her mouth in sheer horror, “L-Let him go, Kol. Please, I love him.”

Kol hungrily drank from the human, feeling him limpen in his arms, then pushing him down the stairs hard, hearing his spine snap, and his heart slow to a stop, like his breathing when he reached the bottom, his bloodied, damaged head by Rebekah’s feet, blood pooling onto the marble around his body.

Rebekah’s blue eyes filled with tears, and she dropped to her knees, her face twisting with grief as she began to shakily sob, her hands wrapping around Matt’s body as she rested his face against his shattered shoulder.

“Rebekah…” Elijah knelt beside her, touching her shoulder whilst Niklaus and Finn stared furiously up at Kol, who was beginning to regret attacking the boy now, fear creeping in his veins.

Rebekah murmured between muffled sobs, “I hate him.”

“Rebekah, he had Kol’s blood in his system.” Elijah told her.

She shook her head in horror, “I can’t let him become one of us. Or like him.” She walked slowly over to a cabinet and pulled out a stake, then blurred back over, putting it deep in Matt’s chest, kissing his forehead, “I’m so sorry, Matt.” she whimpered, then glared up at Kol, then back at Klaus and Finn, “Go ahead, boys. He deserves this one.”

“I-” Kol shook his head, then turned to leave, but Finn dashed in front of him, grabbing him by the throat, “F-Finn.”

The elder brother looked at Niklaus, who was now behind Kol, “How many lashings this time, Niklaus?”

“Three thousand at vampire strength. Make him bleed. Make him pay.” Klaus grabbed his younger brother’s hair, “And maybe then, I won’t dagger him. He deserves it, but we’ll see if he responds to this beating first, shall we?”

Kol coughed, “Nik, please…” then he kicked Finn, elbowing Klaus and darted down the hall to try and reach his room, but was stopped by Elijah, who vamp sped in front of him.

“Make it five thousand,” Elijah said to Finn.


	3. Chapter Two - You And I Walk A Fragile Line

“Finn, I think that he’s learned his lesson.” Elijah breathed to the eldest brother, who’s arm was raised, about to give Kol a few more hundred lashes, “You’ve given him five thousand, one hundred exactly.  He can’t take any more.”

 

Kol’s breathing was laboured, his bloodied body trembling with harsh sobs, most of the bones in his torso broken.  Tears rolled down his cheeks, into his wounds, and he could feel his body shift to try and heal.  He definitely regretted killing Matt Donovan, that was for sure.

 

Finn grabbed his younger brother by the hair, “Are you going to behave yourself?”

 

Kol frantically nodded, sobbing, “I-I’m sorry… I’m s-sorry, please Finn…”

 

“Go to your room.” Finn said, “Stay there for the remainder of the night.”

 

He nodded, dragging his broken limbs into his bedroom, collapsing onto his bed and continuing to sob in agony, blood drenching his covers.

  
“I can’t stand to hear him cry like that.” Elijah sighed, “I should go see him.”

 

Finn sighed, “Alright, but Niklaus and I shall look after Rebekah.  You are always so moral, brother.”

 

“I love Kol, despite his downfalls.” Elijah said, disappearing into Kol’s room, seeing the younger with a razor blade, cutting frantically at his arms, screaming in frustration, “Kol!  Put that down!”

 

Kol sniffled, “No.”

  
“You seriously are disobeying me?” Elijah’s voice was harsh and anger-filled.

 

Kol shakily put it on the top of his bedside drawer.  Elijah walked over and sat beside his younger brother, bringing his head to his lap, running his fingers through his hair, wincing when Kol whimpered in pain.

  
“Hush, brother.” Elijah murmured, “You are going to be okay.”  
  


Kol whined, “It… It hurts, Lijah…”

  
“I know.” Elijah kissed the side of his head, “But you got that lashing because you murdered someone very dear to Rebekah.”  
  
Kol whispered, “I lost myself.”

 

“I know.” Elijah stroked his shoulder now, “I’m going out later, meeting with this girl, Hayley Marshall.”

 

Kol’s head raised, “The… the werewolf?”

 

“One and the same.” Elijah said, “She’s a very lovely girl.”

 

Kol let out a shaking breath, “‘Lijah?  Um.. can I go to school?”

 

“You like Jeremy that much?” Elijah gave an uneasy smile.

 

Kol gave a shrug that was followed by a whimper of agony, “Well… I d-don’t want t-to stay here in this shi-- this place.”

 

“Understandable.” Elijah said, “Finn is our brother, but his temper is fearsome.  Especially when you speak of Sage.”

 

Kol scowled, “She’s a harlot.”  
  


“Oi.” Elijah said softly, fingers coursing through the tresses of Kol’s dark hair, trying to not hurt him, “You are lucky Finn doesn’t hear that.  Heed my words, Kol, if Finn ever knew you said that, he would shove the White Oak stake in your heart himself.”  
  


Kol sniffled, “Might as well, get away from this shit place.”

 

“Don’t speak like that.” Elijah’s voice wavered, “I’ve lost a brother before, Henrik, remember?  I do not wish to lose another.”

 

Kol lifted his head, “S-Sorry.  Could you push my shoulder b-back into place?  I think Finn dislocated it.”

 

“Of course, brother.” Elijah’s hand rested on his shoulder, then jutted forward, feeling the bone lock back into place, “Now, please, don’t do that with the razor again.  It’s a sight I do not wish to witness more than once.”

 

Kol nodded, “Yes, sir.”

 

Elijah got up, disappearing from the room, closing the door behind himself.  After his brother was gone, Kol pulled a black shirt on, and a black hoodie on top of that, his previous clothes ripped from the force of the belt.  He brought his knees up to his chest, curling into a ball on his bed.  He hated this century.  Whilst there was music, he’d have to live in fear of Finn hurting him, as well as Niklaus being a hybrid.  He’dve been better off daggered.

 

Kol grabbed his phone and earbuds, plugging himself in as the beats began to blare into his ears, tapping his hand lightly against his thigh.

 

***

 

“Damon… are you sure about this?” Lorenzo asked, thumb running over the elder’s cheek, resting his forehead against the man’s.

 

Damon sighed, “We have to meet, I have to confront him about this.  He got people to attack you,  and to be honest, that’s against the rules that the Mikaelsons made.”

 

“I know, but… I don’t want you to start something.” the British man looked concerned.

 

Alaric walked in, “Damon.  Bonnie, Kai and Tyler are here.”  
  


“Good.” Damon held Enzo’s hands that rested on his neck, and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, then walked into the other room, pulling the Englishman along.

 

Kai and Bonnie stood side-by-side in the lounge, and Tyler was in the corner.  Kai Parker was a witch who previously had the ability to simply siphon magic, but after merging with his brother Luke (and killing him in the process) he was the ruler of the Gemini coven.  The man had spent just under twenty years in a prison world after killing most of his other siblings, but was brought back through when Klaus had broken his hybrid curse, the power dragging him back.  He had once been a sociopathic monster, but with Bonnie’s help, was getting used to his emotions.  Bonnie thought the world of him, and the two were rarely apart from each other.  They denied that they were courting, but Damon knew that they were both lying.

 

Tyler was a hybrid made by Klaus to guard and watch over the citizens of Chicago, to make sure nobody got up to any sneaky plots, or tried to rebel.  Also, he was an ally of Damon’s faction of vampires, like the two witches were.

 

“Okay, so we’re going to visit Stefan, because last night, he attacked Enzo.” Damon said as he paced, “Well, he sent his lackeys, because you know my brother, can’t fight for shit on his own, too scared to make a proper move without his little buddies.”

 

Tyler asked, “Can we kill him?”  
  


“Calm yourself, Fido.” Damon chastised, “No, we can’t.  You know the rules that the Originals set.”

 

Tyler groaned, “But, if we could get enough of the population to disagree with them--”

 

“Are you seriously saying to overthrow them?” Kai scoffed, “You’re crazier than I am, pup.”

 

Tyler narrowed his eyes, “Not quite.  I didn’t murder my whole family.”  
  


“No, but Klaus did with yours, and Katherine Pierce’s.” Kai crossed his arms, “Dude’s scary.”

 

Bonnie added, “He murdered the witch Genevieve last week.  Popped her head off like a champagne bottle as a town spectacle.  That was because she tried to ‘overthrow’ him.”

 

“Genevieve had it coming, with all due respect.” Enzo inputted, “She spread the most ridiculous rumours surrounding the family, like they were truly unkillable.”  
  


Tyler arched an eyebrow, “Klaus can be killed?  Maybe then I’ll be unsired to him!”

 

“Every creature created from magic is able to be destroyed with it, in some shape or form.” Kai replied, “Unfortunately, we aren’t discussing murdering the Originals, we are talking Stefan.”  
  


Damon sighed in relief, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, “Thank you, Kai.  Was about to go on a killing spree myself if the Mikaelson talk didn’t quiet down.”  
  


“He murdered my mom and has me sired to him like a little bitch!” Tyler grumbled, then his tone changed, “But I guess, I don’t have to turn anymore, so that’s a plus.”

 

Ric looked confused, then stated, “Definitely sired.  Or bipolar.”

 

“Shut it, teach.” Tyler hissed.

 

Damon drummed an angered beat against the table in front of him, “Silence!” he yelled, and the chatter quickly dissipated, “Thank you.  Much better.  Can hear myself think now.” he paused, “Okay, so my brother and I agreed to meet in the bar down the road’s parking lot, with a few of his companions as witness, as well as my own.  You lot are my witnesses, except Ric, who has to go do teacherly things.”  
  


“Horrible grammar.” Ric snorted, “It’s an F from me.  F for fucking terrible.” he turned on his heel and sashayed out.

 

Enzo sighed when he heard Alaric’s door slam shut, lowering his voice slightly, “Damon, what is he doing a part of this?  He’s a liability.  He’s human, he’s not included in the Mikaelson’s agreement.  Stefan could murder him in his sleep.”  
  


“Ric can handle himself.” Damon stated, “It’s you I’m worried about.”

 

Enzo scoffed, “I’m not an invalid, Damon, so stop treating me like one.  Yes, your brother got his little mates to flank me on the way home, but it’s okay -- I’m okay.  I’ve already healed up, okay?  I’m fine.”

 

“I-I know.” Damon sighed, his face softening as he softly caressed Enzo’s cheek with the pad of his thumb, “I’m just worried.  I can’t lose you -- I won’t lose you.”

 

Kai yawned overdramatically, “Boring!  You people are worse than that damn show that Bonnie showed me… what was it… Jersey Shore or something.  So dramatic!”  
  


“Kai…” Bonnie warned, “You’re being mean.”  
  


Kai frowned, “I’m sorry.  You two make a sweet couple.”

 

“Ugh.” Tyler groaned, “They are so gross, I’ve walked in on them fucking more times than I ever needed to.  Very… um… Avant Garde.”

 

Enzo grumbled, “Please, all of you desist from mentioning Damon and I’s sex life.  You all have your own, I surmise -- Kai, you have BonBon… Tyler, you have… uh… uh… Oh wait, you don’t have a sex life.”

 

“As far as you know, English.” Tyler gave a wink.

 

Enzo crossed his arms, “What time are we meeting Stefan?”

 

“About eight o’clock.” Damon replied.

 

Enzo looked at his watch, “In about ten minutes, then.”

 

“Yup.” Damon got to his feet, “Jacket.”

 

Enzo grabbed his leather jacket off it’s hanger and gave him it, “Okay, you two witchies, best be ready in case of a fight.  And you, doggy.”

 

“Arf fucking arf, douchebag.” Tyler grumbled, “You’re lucky Klaus don’t have me on duty for another few days.”

 

***

 

When Damon’s faction arrived at the chosen car park after bickering about who got to drive there, and after that, Kai had accidentally caused them to go the wrong way.  They were almost a few minutes behind, but Damon was never late, managing to cut across grass.

  
  


“Who the hell taught you to drive?” Kai asked, “Stevie Wonder?”

 

Damon rolled his eyes, “Out of the car, crazy pants.”  
  


“Fine.” Kai got out and offered Bonnie his hand, “Come along, milady.” he gave a cheesy grin.

 

Bonnie smiled back and took it, “Thank you, kind sir.” she clambered out of the car.

 

“You two are so obviously shagging.” Enzo rolled his eyes, getting out of the car at the same time as Damon.

 

Tyler got out, crossing his arms, “I hate that piece of shit Camaro.  You guys make it stink of sex.”  
  


“Shut it, Lassie.” Enzo hissed as he looked up and saw Stefan with his gaggle of witnesses approaching, “Little brother’s here, Damon.”

 

Damon gave a small smirk, “Hello, brother.”

 

“Damon.” Stefan’s eyes raked over the group, “Long time.” his eyes locked with Enzo’s, “Still dating the filth, then?”

 

Lorenzo growled, “Oh, you son of a bitch--”

 

“I’d hold your tongue if I were you.” one of the people behind Stefan hissed.

  
She was a girl, about eighteen, with blonde hair and green eyes.  Also there was Elena, and two more girls, another blonde and a small, thin dark haired girl.

 

“Meet my friends -- Caroline, you know her, brother,” the first blonde stepped forward as Stefan introduced her, “Lexi, you know her too, Damon.” the second blonde smirked, “And this is Anna, again, an old friend.”

 

Damon looked at Elena, “Who’s the human?  She smells… irresistible.”

 

“This is Elena Gilbert.” Stefan paused, “My girlfriend.  And she’s protected by the Mikaelsons, unlike your precious Alaric.”  
  


Enzo snarled, “Don’t you dare go near Ric.”

 

“Relax, Enzo.” Lexi stepped forward, “You know Stefan doesn’t kill humans on a whim.  He’s not you.”

 

Tyler’s eyes locked with Caroline’s, lingering there, trying to read her thoughts in a way.  She gave a small twitch of a smile, brushing a strand of her own blonde hair behind her ear, eyes flickering back over to Stefan, who was in a bit of a heated discussion with Damon.

 

Kai and Bonnie stood together, hands unconsciously linking when Anna looked their way, her eyes filled with darkness.

 

“You have the Mikaelsons on your side, perhaps, but I have Sage, Finn’s little girlfriend.” Damon snapped toward his brother.

 

Stefan retorted, “She’s an idiot then, picking the wrong side.”

 

Tyler couldn’t tear his eyes from Caroline, and her own green orbs once again met with his, a small exhale escaping her.  He cocked his head subtly, signalling that they should leave, knowing that this little dispute was going to last a while.  She gave a silent laugh and a short nod, darting out without a sound.  He blurred after her, both of them going as far away from the meeting as possible, ending up deep in the woods together.

 

“Thank God.” Caroline giggled, “Those two seriously need to kiss and make up.” she turned to the hybrid, “I’m Caroline Forbes.”

 

Tyler smiled, “Tyler Lockwood.  You’re a vampire, right?”

 

“And you, my friend, are a hybrid.” she grinned, “So, I guess that means you’ve met the infamous yet mysterious Klaus.  What’s he like?”

 

The hybrid shrugged, “I guess I kind of owe him for getting rid of the curse.  But the asshole also killed my parents, so I hate him.”

 

“Ah.” she tilted her head, crossing her arms, “You’re sire-bonded.  I’d make a joke about a dog and a leash, but I’ve heard that your bite is most certainly worse than your bark.”

 

Tyler nodded, then asked, “So, Caroline Forbes, how did you become a vamp?”

 

“Well, I was in this accident…” she explained, “One of my friends, Matt Donovan, he was, uh, he was drunk, and so was I, and he crashed his car.  I had severe internal injuries, and Damon Salvatore ended up giving me his blood, because Stefan asked it.  Later that night, Elena’s darling doppelganger Katherine came by and decided to smother me with a pillow.” she concluded, “Then, I became a vampire, and Matty disappeared from the world.  Apparently, the Mikaelsons took him in.  How sweet of them.”

 

Tyler looked confused, “Katherine Pierce?  She was the one who compelled a man to run at me, and I ended up killing the man’s girlfriend, who was also compelled.  I made her crack open her skull.  That’s what broke my curse.”

 

“Hiding behind compulsion.” Caroline strutted closer to Tyler, “Definitely sounds like Miss Pierce.  She disappeared too, was run out of town when Klaus came here.” she asked, “Do you go to school?”

 

Tyler scoffed, “I’m not that obedient, blondie.  I don’t do stuff like that, no… Klaus prefers to have me on guard during school time, he’s horrifically paranoid.” he looked confused, “Anyway, why couldn’t Stefan heal you?”

 

“He wasn’t strong enough.” she frowned, “Bunny blood does that to a vamp.”

 

Tyler groaned, “Euggh.  Bunny blood? That’s gross.” he paused, “D-Don’t you kind of owe Damon your life?”

 

“I forgot to tell you.” Caroline crossed her arms, “You know how he and Enzo broke up for a bit last year, arguing all the time?  Yeah.  He compelled me and used me as his little sex and feeding toy -- Enzo doesn’t know this, by the way.  He nearly killed me, but I was compelled to forget it all.  Of course, when you’re compelled to forget something, as soon as you become a vampire…”

  
Tyler completed her sentence, “You remember it all.”

 

“So puppy,” she looked up and down him, “Why did you want me to come with you?  Did you expect us to have a game of bang bang against a tree?”

 

He shrugged, “Well, we’re both busy people… and busy people need a release.”

 

“You know we shouldn’t.” she chewed her lower lip seductively, “We’re on seperate teams in this fight.”

 

He grinned, “They don’t have to know.”  
  


“Well, it’s a yes, if you can, keep those pretty pearly white teeth to yourself,” she ran a hand up his torso, “And if you think you can handle it.”

 

He scoffed, “I’m a hybrid, honey.” he looked down at her lips, “You can’t handle me.”

 

“Mmm, we’ll see ‘bout that.” she ran her hands up to link behind his head, pulling him into a hard kiss.

 

He blurred her against a tree, kissing back with fervour, hearing her softly moan as he pushed her back into the wood, it chipping and cracking, their bodies grinding like cogs in a machine.  Her hands tore at his shirt and back, getting rid of the stupid layer.  He released her so she could rid herself of her clothes, he unbuckling his belt and unzipping his jeans, pulling them down.  So many layers, and every touch was like fire, forbidden and burning.

 

When they were joined, they mated passionately in that spot, flesh touching flesh, calls being exchanged, their endless stamina forcing them to continue until they were numb.

 

***

 

“Well, that was fruitless.” Enzo sighed as he and Damon entered the desolate house, “Looks like Ric ain’t home.  Probably shagging that girl he likes so much.”

 

Damon asked, “Did you see where Tyler went?  He just kinda… disappeared.”

 

“So did Bonnie and that lovely friend of yours, Kai.” Enzo clasped his hands together over his own stomach, leaning against the wall, “Everyone just got bored, I suspect.”

 

Damon came over and rested his chin against Enzo’s shoulder, “Are you mad at me, baby?”

 

“No.” Lorenzo huffed, “You know as well as I do what happens whenever I am.  I feel guilty because you are the one thing that matters to me.”

 

Damon’s arms surrounded his waist, “You don’t mean that.”  
  


“I do.” Enzo turned to face the taller, “I love you.”

 

Damon pressed his lips to Enzo’s softly, hand running up to touch his cheek, then inched away, ice blue eyes searching the younger’s face, “I love you too, Lorenzo.”

 

***

 

Kai sat in Bonnie’s apartment, eyes staring into her electronic fire, watching the flames flicker and lick around the metal casing, amazed by the technology.  Bonnie was in the kitchen, pouring some drinks, smiling at Kai’s almost childlike wonder as he looked into the fire.  She brought the two glasses of whiskey into the living room, sitting beside Kai and jutting him out of his daze, putting the glass on the table in front of them.

 

“You startled me.” he looked at Bonnie, slightly shaken, “Oh, that’s new.  My heart, it’s racing.”

 

Bonnie managed a small smile, “It’s called a rush of adrenalin.” she sipped her drink, seeing him pick his up, then put it back down.

 

“Bon…” he looked down, looking ashamed, “I-I…” he chewed his lower lip, “I’ve been having nightmares of Luke again.”

 

Bonnie put down her glass, “Kai…” she sighed, her hand touching his, “You’re going to be okay.”

 

“I killed him.” he admitted, “Luke, and my other siblings.  I keep thinking that… that Liv and Jo are going to come after me… They’re going to kill me and-and I don’t understand this feeling.” his eyes filled with tears, “I can’t eat or sleep due to this… I keep feeling like someone’s watching me, and I don’t understand it…”

 

Her hand run up to his face, “Kai, look at me.” his gaze remained aimed towards the floor, “Please, just look at me.” he turned towards her, and a droplet of water run down his cheek, splashing onto her hand, “They won’t hurt you.  These emotions -- they’re called fear, and guilt, and grief, and I know it hurts, but I swear to God, with all the power within me, I won’t let them hurt you.” she pressed her lips to his forehead, pulling him close to her, “You’ll be okay.”

 

“I’ll never be okay.” Kai whimpered, “I hate this.  I don’t understand why I feel this way… It-- It hurts, and I just… I can’t… I don’t--”

 

She huffed, stroking his back as a wave of uncontrollable tears overtook him, streaming down his face as he tried to figure out how to stop them, “It’s okay.” she breathed, “I’m here… just… just know that, Kai.”

 

When the tears subsided about ten minutes later, he raised his head, eyes red and irritatible.  Her shirt was slightly wet from where he was crying into it, but she didn’t mind.  She hated seeing him so upset, but knew his emotions were overwhelming to him.

 

“Are you feeling better?” she stroked his cheek.

  
He gave a slight nod, “Sorry about that.  Totally uncool, I know.”

 

“It’s okay.” her eyes flickered to his lips, “You are forgiven.”

 

He gently kissed her to show his gratitude, a mere brushing of lips before parting, but a beautiful kiss nonetheless.  Before her, he hadn’t ever had a girlfriend, he had always been a bit of an outcast -- nobody would love the freak who could only siphon magic.  This was all new to Kai, the feel of a woman who loved him, touching him and loving him, being with someone who didn’t hate him.  His eyes stayed locked with hers, unable to look away from her.  Magic was the thing that connected them, and whenever they were together, it rung within them, like a lifeline, like lightning and ice.

 

“Bon…” he breathed, “You know you saved me, don’t you?”

 

She ran her thumb over his lower lip, “I saved you because you’re worth saving.  Everyone sees you as dark and evil, I just see you as lost and abused.”

 

“I-I can’t quite describe how I feel when I’m with you.” he stammered, “I’m s-so stupid… can’t even s-say the simplest of things.”  
  


She hushed him, “Shh.  You don’t need to say it.  I know.  I do too.  Just… Just kiss me.” she pleaded, “Kiss me.”  
  


He gently pressed his lips to hers, feeling her body yield to his, not quite knowing what to do, hands shaking at his sides.  She grabbed his hands and put one on her waist, the other in her hair, guiding him in what to do.  The arm on her waist pulled her closer, as did the one in her hair, her own linking around his shoulders, passion and magic exploding in their guts, a soft moan falling from him.

 

He pulled away, suddenly feeling nervous, “I-I’m sorry.  I don’t know why I-- why I did that… I’m just--”  
  
“You’re nervous.” Bonnie stated, noting that she was now straddling his lap, “It’s alright.  We don’t have to rush, Kai.”

 

He shook his head, “This is wrong… I should be reassuring you… I’m a stupid fucking virgin, and it’s embarrassing. Technically I’m in my fourties.”

 

“Kai…” she ran her hands over his shoulder blades, “It’s alright.  We can wait.  I can wait.”

 

He looked down, “I hate this.  Not being able to be the man you want or deserve.”

 

“You are the man I want, though.” Bonnie told him, “You’re a nice, sweet man--”

 

He interrupted, “Who murdered his own siblings.”

 

“Yes…” Bonnie frowned, “But I’m trying to help you.  Let me, Kai.”

 

He sighed, “I don’t know how to do all of this…”

 

“Well…” she pressed her lips to his throat, feeling him arch it slightly, giving her more access, “Let me show you…” she grinned deviously, kissing down his throat and tugging at his shirt, a throaty moan escaping him.

 

***

 

“Brother.” Elijah called as he walked into Finn’s office, seeing Sage sitting on his desk, “Hello, Sage.”

 

The redhead scowled, “Elijah.”

 

“What is it, Elijah?” Finn asked, looking down on his younger brother.

 

Elijah replied, “It’s Kol.  He’s changed his mind on the whole school subject.  He’s decided that he shall sign up for it.”

 

“Good.” Finn stated, “He needs a hobby.  He’s probably listening now, so,” he raised his voice slightly, “Kol, you may leave your room now!” he heard footsteps slowly and unhappily descend the stairs, plodding before stopping in the living room.

 

Elijah lowered his voice, “Also, another thing.  After you banished Kol to his room… when I went in, I saw him…” he became even quieter, “Cutting his own arms with a razor.”

 

“My God.” Finn huffed, “He wouldn’t… I’ll beat him to living hell if--”

 

Elijah interjected, “Leave it.  I fixed it, brother.”

 

“Good.” Finn sighed in relief, “Now, can you please leave?”

 

Elijah nodded, “Of course brother,” he glared at Sage, “I see you are indeed busy.” he turned and left, going into the living room, where Rebekah was screaming her hatred towards Kol, Klaus watching in almost amusement.

 

“I hate you!” Rebekah screamed, “You are no brother of mine, Kol Mikaelson!  I wish you were dead, I wish you weren’t here!  Why did Matt have to die, and a horrible person like you get to live?”

 

Kol was looking down ashamedly, his body still unhealed, tears burning behind his eyeballs, threatening to fall.

 

Elijah walked over, “Rebekah… That is enough.  He has been punished enough.”

 

“You always pick his side, Elijah!” Rebekah squawked.

 

Elijah retorted, “On the contrary, we normally side with you, Rebekah, but in this instance, I would advise you to leave him alone.  He’s received over five thousand lashes this night, more than any in the family have ever had in a thousand years.  He’s in pain, leave him.”

 

“Five thousand?” Rebekah looked mildly horrified, “His skin should be mush, in ribbons.”

 

Klaus joined the conversation, “It was.  He’s healing.”

 

“That was, I admit, a bit too many.” Rebekah huffed, “You did suggest it though, Elijah.”  
  


Elijah defended, “I wasn’t being serious, sister.  You know my facetiousness is sometimes more than Finn can comprehend.  He is our brother, but he is rather dim.”

 

“I don’t disagree.” remarked Klaus.

 

Kol brought his knees up to his chest, “Please… S-Stop talking about me like-- like I’m not here.”

 

“I apologise, brother.” Elijah sat beside him, “Are you feeling any better?”

 

Kol shrugged, “I guess.  I’m healing.”

 

“Don’t be such a stoic prick, Kol.” Rebekah hissed, “And for this, just so you know brother, I will never forgive you.”

 

Kol’s eyes remained downcast, “I can live with that, Bekah.”

 

“Can you?” Klaus wondered, “You are so emo this century, brother.  Listening to your music and acting so sad and lonely.”  
  


Kol rolled his eyes, glaring up at Klaus, “I am not an emo.  Emo is a genre of music, you moronic wanker.  Learn some bloody facts!”

 

“Who are your favourite band again, Kol?” Klaus asked, “Bring The Horizon?”

 

Kol huffed, “Bring Me The Horizon.  Their song It Never Ends has some exquisite screaming in it.  I like Motionless In White also.”

 

“I have no idea.” Elijah shrugged when Klaus looked over at him confusedly.

 

Rebekah sat down, “Personally, I quite like Meghan Trainor and that band… what are they called… One Direction.”

 

“Ugh.” Kol groaned, “They are terrible.”  
  


Rebekah rolled her eyes, “At least my music has actual words that I can understand.”  
  


“Not every song I like has screaming in it.” Kol crossed his legs, “My Chemical Romance don’t scream much, neither do Fall Out Boy, or Panic! At The Disco.”

 

Klaus coughed, “Emo.”

 

“What do you listen to, Nik?” Kol challenged.

 

Klaus replied, “A variety of things.  Coldplay, some classic rock like Journey, Steppenwolf, even some Bach.”

 

“Yeah, right.” Kol laughed, “You’re probably a closet Bieber fan.”

 

Elijah arched an eyebrow, “Who on earth is Bieber?”

 

“You don’t want to know.” Kol replied, “And I know you prefer classical piano crap.”

 

Elijah huffed, “Okay, so I’m not up to date with all these ‘cool’ new bands, so what?”

 

“So… I was daggered for nearly a hundred years, so was Bekah.” Kol crossed his arms, “What’s your bloody excuse?”

 

Elijah shrugged, “I just don’t enjoy music like you do, brother.  At least I’m not Finn, who hardly knows what music is.”

 

“Yeah.” Kol smiled, “Beks, good news.  You’re going to ‘ave me in your classes this year.  I’m enrolling!”

 

Rebekah groaned, “Oh, no.”

 

“Hey, I might be the only friend you have!” Kol said.

 

Rebekah retorted, “Actually, I’m hanging around with a few people, this girl Davina, she’s a witch, and this gay vampire Joshua.”

 

“Ooh.” Kol laughed, “Rebekah has actual mates.  Stop the press.”  
  


Rebekah rolled her eyes again, “At least I don’t need to compel my friends, Kol.”

 

“On the contrary, Jeremy and I were getting along fine.” Kol hissed, feeling a bone healing in his side, “Ouch.”

 

Elijah took his hand, “I am sorry.”

 

“It’s alright.” Kol huffed, “I’ll endure.  Always do.”

 

 


	4. Chapter Three - Weight Of The World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains sexual content and a few scenes of self mutilation.

“Have you got your bag?” Elijah fussed over Kol -- it was his first day at the local high school.

Kol grumbled, “Yes, I do! I’ve got everything I need, Lijah!”

“Are you sure?” Finn asked, ruffling Kol’s hair.

Kol protested, “Oi, gerroff!”

“Finn, Elijah, leave our brother alone.” Niklaus said, grinning amusedly.

Kol rolled his eyes, “This ain’t funny, Nik.”

“It is to us.” Rebekah commented.

Kol flipped her the bird, earning a slap around the back of the head from Finn. He sighed, crossing his arms.

“Right… do you remember the rules, Kol?” Finn asked, looking his youngest brother in the eyes.

Kol nodded, “No killing anyone, not even Math teachers, if I’m thirsty, I have a Thermos of blood in my bag, no falling out with Beks, and if something goes wrong, call one of you.” the vampire paused, “If I break any of these I get a beating.”

“You’re still healing from last week’s one.” Elijah stated.

Kol huffed, slinging his bag up his shoulder, “I’m alright.”

“Hurry now, or you’ll be late! Elijah didn’t compel you in for nothing!” Finn chirped.

Kol muttered, “You’re just trying to get rid of me.”

 

“You are a pest and a menace.” Elijah retorted.

Kol rolled his eyes, then his older brother stepped on his tiptoes to press a kiss to his forehead, to apologise for that below-the-belt statement. He then did the same to Rebekah, cuddling her a bit before releasing her and tapping her back lightly to push her off.

“Go! Rebekah’s going to drive you to school!” Elijah rushed Kol.

The younger walked out behind his sister, clambering into the car before putting in one of his earplugs and putting on his seatbelt (although, if they did crash, it wouldn’t kill him, just his phone, which meant the world to him). He turned on Pierce The Veil’s Hold On To May, relaxing in his seat whilst Rebekah turned the ignition and reversed out of the drive and through the black gates guarding their home.

“You should like Josh.” Rebekah smiled towards Kol, “He’s gay, like yourself.”

 

Kol rolled his eyes, “I’m not gay! I’m bloody bisexual.”

“You’re bloody mad, is what you are.” Rebekah turned a corner, “You’ll crack and kill someone, I bet you a thousand dollars.”

Kol’s eyes flickered over his sister’s features, “Are you proposing a wager, sister? Because you do know how much I like a challenge.”

“I am challenging you, yes.” Rebekah’s eyes remained on the road, “Well, actually,” she spared a quick glance at her brother, “A challenge means there’s actually a chance of you succeeding.”

Kol rolled his eyes, “Wow, a blonde knows the definition of the word challenge. Stop the press!”

“Oh, wank off.” Rebekah grumbled.

When they pulled up at the school, Rebekah parked in her usual space, and Kol’s head snapped up, his eyes roaming the lions den that faced him. The campus was fairly big, at least seven acres of dark green grass and high white and grey stone buildings, at least four of them that were all connected with walkways and corridors. There were trees outside the main building that had a number of students sitting together in various cliques under them.

Kol hopped out of the car, “I’ve gotta sign in, right?”

“Right.” Rebekah looked past him, “Look, it’s your boyfriend, Kol!”

Kol looked confused for a second, “Huh?” he then turned around, seeing Jeremy and glared at his little sister, “Very funny, Bekah.”

“I actually convinced you to come to school.” Jeremy grinned, walking over, “Dude, I should be the motherfucking President.”

Kol’s eyes widened a little, “I would hope you don’t fuck your citizens’ mothers, Mister President.” he pulled out his earphone, “I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t elect you again.”

Two other people walked over -- a young girl who looked about sixteen who had dark hair and blue eyes, and an elder boy, who had dark hair and eyes. Kol predicted that these two were Davina and Josh, Rebekah’s so-called friends. Davina hugged Rebekah, grinning, and then turned to Kol.

“So, you’re the famous Kol Mikaelson?” she asked, “I’m Davina. Davina Claire.”

The boy looked nervous, “And… And I’m, uh, I’m Josh.”

“Pleased to meet you.” Kol lingered unconsciously closer to Jeremy.

Josh’s eyes dropped to Jeremy’s wrist, and then darkened, the sclera going red and veins pumping underneath them. Kol’s nose picked up the strong scent of fresh blood, then saw Josh step away slightly.

“Newbie vamp, huh?” Kol’s eyes raked over Josh’s slightly trembling form, “It’s okay… Jeremy, we can smell it.”

Jeremy cursed, “Fuck! I thought it had stopped. Sorry, man.” he hid his wrist behind his back.

“It… It’s okay.” Josh exhaled, his eyes going back normal.

Kol asked the vampire in front of him, “If you’re a vampire, then why do you reek of werewolf? I have to live with that scent with Nik.”

“Kol!” Rebekah gasped.

Josh looked at the compelled people walking around, knowing all of them were controlled not to notice anything supernatural, then back at Kol, “I shouldn’t really tell you this, but my boyfriend, Aiden… He’s a wolf.”

 

“Ooh…” Kol smirked, “I’m guessing you do it doggy style.”

Rebekah made a face, “You are vulgar, brother.”

“Anyway, I must go register at the office.” Kol huffed, “I do detest being a new student.”

Rebekah pointed out, “You haven’t been a new student before, Kol -- you haven’t been to proper school.”

“Elijah… attempted to school me.” Kol retorted, “Failed miserably, but bless him, he tried. Now where is this office?”

Jeremy offered, “I’ll show you if you want.”

“That’d be lovely, mate, thank you.” Kol grinned, and the two began to walk together, chatting about music.

All of a sudden, a girl barged hard into Jeremy, knocking him to his knees and dropping her books on his feet. She looked down, rolled her eyes, then picked them up.

“Watch where you’re going, Girlbert.” she laughed at her own joke, “‘Girlbert’. I’m good.”

 

Kol helped Jeremy up, “No, you’re just rude. Your name?”

“Monique Deveraux.” the girl said, her features twisting into an innocent smile, “And you, sir, are Mr. Kol Mikaelson.” the smile faded as she looked at Jeremy with an expression full of disdain, “Don’t know what a civilised person like yourself is doing with a suicidal faggot like Jer here. You know he cuts?” she grabbed Jeremy’s wrist, making him wince, “How are we doing today? Any fresh ones, little emo boy?” she rolled up his hoodie sleeve, “Ooh, those look nasty, did you use a razorblade or a knife?” her eyes flickered to Kol, “Did you know this sick bastard once overdosed in class? Took sleeping pills. He’s so troubled.”

Kol growled, “Leave him alone.”

“Oh, Kol.” she sighed, digging her sharp nails into Jeremy’s fragile flesh, making the boy whimper in pain, “You really don’t want to make an enemy out of me.” she tilted her head, “I’m a damn good witch.”

The Original vampire snapped and blurred, grabbing Monique by the throat, making her release Jeremy before darting to a wall, pinning and holding her up, “You have no idea how easy it would be for me to kill you right now, Monique Deveraux.”

“Kol!” Rebekah cried, blurring over beside her brother and touching his shoulder, “Don’t. Do you remember what Elijah and Finn told you?”

Kol’s hand shook with the thought of the beating he would get if he killed this young sixteen year old. He considered it for a few fleeting seconds, but ultimately decided he didn’t want a beating, so dropped the girl to the floor, turning away from her to the gang of supernaturals that had gathered.

“What are you staring at?” Kol snarled, “Go away, all of you!” he turned back to his sister, “So much for that bet, Beks.”

Rebekah was horrified, “She is sixteen!”

“She just made Jeremy bleed more, in a place filled with insatiable vampires.” Kol retorted, “I’d go check your mate Joshua is alright, he hasn’t got this whole vamp thing under control. I’ll heal Jer.”

 

Jeremy was cowering under a tree, clutching his now gushing wrist, the blood sticking to his hoodie, pain shooting up his arm every time he moved. His heart raced in his chest, and there were tears threatening to fall. He was terrified as various vampires kept shooting him looks, eyes burning red with absolute famine -- he knew that right now, he looked like a walking, talking Happy Meal. He was truly terrified, and feared that he was going to die, that one of these vamps wouldn’t be able to control themselves and would bite him. He hated Monique -- just because she was a Deveraux, she believed she was such a badass. A tall, dark haired boy approached him, eyes dark and red, practically salivating as he looked at the boy’s wound.

“You look… delicious.” he licked his lower lip, “And I am so hungry. You have no idea.”

Jeremy backed up, eyes widening like a deer’s in headlights, “Please, man… no.”

“What are you going to do to stop me?” The vampire gave a fanged grin before stepping closer.

All of a sudden, his head was snapped to the side with a deafening crack, his body sliding to the ground, revealing a very angry looking Kol, “Him? Not much. Me on the other hand…”

“Kol…” Jeremy’s vision began to flicker from losing so much blood, “Y-You saved my life…”

Kol stepped over the unconscious vamp and stepped closer to the shaking teenager, “Well, I wasn’t going to let that bastard kill you, darling, I actually like you.” he bit into his wrist with a crunch sound, then put his arm in front of Jeremy’s face, “Drink. It’ll heal you.”

Jeremy sighed, putting his lips to Kol’s wrist and swallowing a few gulps of the sticky crimson fluid before pulling away, feeling his wrist heal up.

“Take off your hoodie, we have to dump it because it’s drenched in blood.” Kol commanded, “Now!”

Jeremy shakily took it off, hiding his older scars from Kol, “I’m c-cold though.”

Kol huffed, taking off his own hoodie then wrapping it around Jeremy, “There you go, darling. Now, do you want to get out of here? I’ve got some money for the arcade.”

“Are you saying… bunk off?” Jeremy looked surprised, “Won’t your brothers be mad?”

Kol shrugged, “I said I wanted out of the house. Technically, I am.”

“Are you bloody mental?” Rebekah’s voice complained as she drew nearer, walking with Josh, “If Finn finds out you’re playing hooky, he’ll batter you!”

Kol rolled his eyes, “I couldn’t care less about Finn.” He looked at Josh, “You alright, mate? Looking a bit peaky.”

“You pissed off a Devaraux witch.” he stated, “Dude, you’ve probably just started a war.”

 

Rebekah huffed, “Ignore him, he was turned by Marcel, bit overdramatic.”

 

“I can see that.” Kol noted, “Right, Beks, see you whenever. Come on, Jeremy! Might as well check out that new record store too!”

Jeremy followed after the enthusiastic Kol, who was powerwalking ahead. They reached the school’s wall and both easily scaled it.

“You ready to take a leap?” Kol asked, sitting on the edge of the wall.

Jeremy looked down to the ground, which suddenly looked further than it was, “I, uh…”

Kol jumped down, landing perfectly on his feet before looking up at Jeremy, “Go on. It’ll be okay, mate. Not too big a drop. Definitely fit for human survival.”

The human took a shaky breath, looking behind him to see everyone filing into the school as the bell rang, then looked back at Kol, who’s big brown eyes seemed to largen, pupils dilating, making him look adorable. Jeremy rested his hands and feet against the brick, then pushed himself off, landing uncomfortably on top of the Original vampire, who laughed breathlessly before getting up. Kol outstretched his hand to Jeremy, and the human took it, getting up to his feet, the two men’s faces suddenly becoming very close.

‘Whoa, what the hell…’ thought Kol, ‘No, you idiot, you just bloody met him last week.’

Jeremy’s eyes darkly flickered to the vampire’s lips, black lashes fawning out over his skin, the shadows of them like butterfly wings. Kol drew closer, until they were mere inches apart, then blinked, pulling away.

Awkwardly, he coughed and crossed his arms, “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“No problem.” Jeremy sounded a bit annoyed, a few particles of his voice laced with irritation.

They continued to walk down the road together, Kol’s bag over his shoulder and his hoodie on Jeremy.

\--

“Kai!” Bonnie called as she came home from her shift at the Magic Shop, “Kai, where are you?”

She walked into the living room and heard the faint hissing of a shower from the bathroom, a smile tugging her lips. She walked down the hallway, and gave a short knock on the door, resting her forehead against it.

“Busy day today.” she said, “We got over fifty customers. Our sale on Newt Eyes really hit off.”

No response.

She tried to turn the handle, “Kai?” she called, getting a bit worried, “Kai, you in there?”

There was a quiet, muffled sob that was barely audible over the sound of rushing water. Bonnie barged the door once, knowing instantly that it was locked by magic when she felt a jolt of electricity scorn her for it.

“Kai!” she pleaded, “Just… Just please, let me in. I can make it all better.”

Slowly, the door swung open, and she saw Kai curled up in the shower, fully clothed, head buried in his knees. His arms were covered in blood, and there were scars on his body that were not there before.

She rushed to him, taking face in between his hands and seeing his tear-streaked face. His whole body was drenched from the stream of cold water coming from the nozzle, and his hands were shaking.

“Kai…” she breathed, “You’re alright… I’m here.” she turned off the shower, “What happened?”

His voice broke as he tried to explain, “I-I was m-making myself a sandwich, and I a-accidentally cut myself… A-And I couldn’t stop cutting… It’s l-like I’m there again, Bon, i-in 1994 forever… I’m so scared. I’m scared.”

“Oh, my God.” she looked at his cuts, “We have to get you to the hospita--”

Kai cried out, “No! Don’t, please don’t!”

“Okay… Okay…” she ran her hand over his wet shoulder, “Lets get you into some warm clothes, baby, okay?”

He sniffled, “O-Okay.”

She pressed a kiss to his forehead, then helped him up and out of the shower, taking him into the bedroom and stripping him of his clothing, much to his dismay, to assess the damage he had caused himself. He struggled and whimpered and begged for her to leave him alone, but she ignored him, wanting to see if he’d be okay.

There were scars marring his entire body, bullet holes and stab wounds from where he had attempted to kill himself in the prison world, and fresher cuts, ones that were weeping blood.

Bonnie sighed, “Kai… you could’ve really hurt yourself.”

 

“I-I know… it’s just… I-I…” he wasn’t making much sense, the salty tears stinging his wounds, “Every single time I close my eyes, I see them. L-Little Joey… Luke. All the others…”

She rested her hand against his cheek, “I know it hurts, and it haunts you, but you’ll get through it. I’ll help you.”

“I can’t d-do this.” Kai looked down, “God, my head hurts…”

Bonnie’s thumb gingerly traced the edge of a deep cut on his wrist, making him wince. She knew he needed a hospital, and urgently, but also knew that he didn’t want to go due to his sister, Josette being a doctor there. She wasn’t permitted to harm him due to him also being a witch, and it would be against the Mikaelsons’ rules and regulations.

“We need to get you some medical attention.” she breathed, “You may have severed an artery, and I can’t heal you.”

He whimpered audibly, “Please don’t take me to the hospital, Bonnie.” his vision began to slowly flicker.

“I’ll phone Damon.” she said, pulling out her mobile and typing in Damon’s phone number.

Kai shakily got dressed as she spoke on the phone with the vampire, then fell onto his backside, his feet unable to hold him, breathing becoming unsteady.

“Okay, see you in a few.” Bonnie sighed into the receiver before hanging up, “He said he’d be here soon.”

She slid her phone back into her pocket before sitting down, allowing him to clamber up onto the bed and rest his head in her lap as he wept, sounding completely unhinged. He was trembling like a madman stuck out in the snow, his shivers worrying the witch holding him.

Finally, Damon knocked at the door, then walked in, glad he was invited, “What happened?”

“I found him in the shower… he’s a wreck.” Bonnie’s voice wavered, “I can’t get him to make much sense, he’s losing a lot of blood but refuses to go to the hospital because of Jo.”

 

Damon walked over, icy blue eyes running over Kai’s form -- the boy looked so small compared to the dark, evil witch he was known as. He looked so innocent, so broken, so sad. The vampire bit his wrist, seeing Bonnie bring Kai into a sitting position, his eyes fixated on the ground, bloodied, scarred wrists turned upward. Damon put his wrist to Kai’s lips, feeling him very weakly swallow, warm tears running down the warlock’s face. After Kai’s arms began to heal, Damon tore his arm away and gave Bonnie a supportive smile.

“You going to be alright, Bon-Bon?” he asked.

Bonnie shrugged, “I’m not sure. I have to look after him.”

“I can stay--”

 

She shook her head, “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” he gave her a hug, then turned to Kai, “You’re going to be okay, dude.”

 

He left swiftly, leaving Kai with Bonnie. The witch took the warlock’s hand and kissed it, huffing shakily. He looked up, dark eyes filled with sorrow.

“I-I’m so sorry.” he murmured, “I must have gotten you so worr--”

She broke him off by cupping his cheek and joining their lips in a passionate brush, “I forgive you.” she whispered.

“I l-love… I love you, Bonnie Bennett. I don’t understand how I feel this way about you, but I know that… I think… I know it’s love.” he mumbled.

She smiled, “I love you too, Kai.”

He huffed, resting his head against her shoulder as the tears continued to fall. She wrapped her arms around him and brought him down to rest with her, her forehead resting against his, not caring that the sheets were soaked in his blood, just losing herself in his eyes.

\--

“I missed you yesterday; Stefan was being such a bore,” breathed Caroline as she and Tyler laid nude together at his house, on the couch, “Bragging about his and Elena’s engagement again, for, like, the millionth time.”

 

Tyler scoffed, “I walked in on Damon and Enzo fucking again yesterday. And Klaus has a little girlfriend who he was eating out on the dinner table -- Finn was less than amused.”

 

“Really?” Caroline pondered, “What’s the unlucky chick’s name?”

The hybrid replied, “Nadia. She’s foreign.”

“So he was eating out for lunch?” she laughed at her own joke, “I bet Finn shit himself.”

 

Tyler nodded, “Practically. Kol called Nadia a skank, got a slap, Rebekah spent the majority of her day moping because Baseball Bat Boy killed her boyfriend.”

 

“Top brother he is.” muttered Caroline, “And why do you call Kol Baseball Bat Boy?”

Tyler replied, “He hit Damon Dickavore with a baseball bat once. It was funny.”

“Wow. He did deserve that.” she bit her lip, “You know what, all this talk of eating out for dinner has made me hungry.” a grin gripped her lips, “I think I’ll order a Tyler Lockwood feast.” she kissed him softly, pushing him down on the ground before climbing on top of him, lowering herself onto him, breathing out a soft moan.

His hands gripped her hips as she began to move, directing her in her movements, moans also escaping his lips. Her hair fell over his face, and she let out a soft grunt as one of her movements were rough. She sat up, throwing her head back, scratching her nails down his torso as she felt the edge calling to her.

Suddenly, he flipped them, taking control and speeding up the movements with his hybrid speed, jutting in and out at her with a strength greater than her own, making her cry out with the feelings overwhelming her. She vamped out and dug her teeth into his shoulder, the pain distracting enough for her to take control once more, flipping them back over and riding him slowly, dragging a whine from his lips.

“Care…” he moaned, desperate to come, “Just… Don’t tease me.” he pleaded, delirious with pleasure, “Just fuck me, hard.”

 

She replied, breathlessly, “As you wish,” before grinning and bouncing herself hard and fast in his lap, feeling him thrust up, hips knocking against each other.

“Tyler… I’m close..” she warned.

He groaned, “Me t-too.”

Their moans grew in volume until they both shattered over their high together, collapsing in the orgasmic bliss, the aftershocks raining over them, panted breaths being exchanged between them.

“Well, that was definitely fun.” Tyler mumbled.

She gave a small giggle, “Yep.”

\--

Kol and Jeremy sat in a cafe together after spending the majority of the day at the shops, buying CDs. The vampire sipped at his strawberry milkshake, grinning toward the human, who had a banana one.

“This has been fun.” Kol smirked, then looked up at the clock, cursing, “Shit. It’s half four, school will be ended now.”

Jeremy huffed, “Damn it. Stefan expects me home for at the latest, five.”

“Quarter to.” Kol grumbled, “My big brothers are rather strict. And they don’t really trust me.”

Jeremy asked, “Why not?”

“Because I’m murderous, insane and unstable.” Kol replied, taking a sip of his drink, his bag rested beside his leg.

Jeremy scoffed, “Hardly. You’re not that bad, Kol.” his hand unconsciously linked with the vampire’s across the table, neither one noticing until they got strange stares from people in the cafe, then letting go.

“Look, Jer.” Kol sighed, “I can’t. You’re a nice lad and everything, and believe me, I like you, I really do, and I want-- you know. But my brother Nik has a tendacy to kill people I like, and I’m sorry, but I don’t want that to happen to you, okay, mate?”

Jeremy went pale, “I-I…” he looked shaken up, “I have to get home.” he grabbed his bag and got up, leaving.

“Jer--” Kol called after him, but stopped himself, saying that this was the right thing to do, and knowing deep inside that he was right.

He looked down into his milkshake, then back up, seeing Jeremy rushing across the street. Descending the road, he saw Josh with another man, who was perhaps a few years older, holding his hand. Kol surmised that this was his mysterious boyfriend. Josh laughed, looking absolutely ecstatic with his lover, pecking his lips. Kol looked down, tucking a tiny bit of hair behind his hair as he listened in on the conversation they were having, a favourite pastime of his.

*

“-- So how was school?”

“Um… interesting. But I did miss you. Maths was torture.”

 

“Aww, baby. I can make that little Maths headache better.”

“Why do I even have to go to that shithole? I’m freaking twenty one! Just because I kind of bunked a bit when I was human.”

“I miss school.”

 

“You’re kidding, right? I hate the place.”

 

“Seriously, though, you miss it when you leave.”

 

“Not looking forward to that midlife crisis.”

“Midlife?” there was a small laugh, “Cheeky bastard.” Kol looked up to see Josh’s boyfriend attack hug him, pressing kisses over his cheek, “Going to have to deny you sex now, Joshua.”

 

Josh laughed, “Aiden, you couldn’t deny me sex if it meant the world wouldn’t end.”

“True.”

*

“Excuse me…” a voice grasped Kol’s attention, and he looked up to see Lexi.

He grinned, “Alexia, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Not a pleasure.” she looked stressed, “Your phone has been ringing the past five minutes. I think your big brother wants you home.”

 

Kol looked at his phone; four missed calls.

“Shit.” he murmured, grabbing his bag and darting out of the cafe, slinging the bag over his shoulder and calling Elijah, “Brother.”

Elijah sighed into the phone, “It’s five o’clock, Kol. And apparently, you were truant for the entire day.”

“Shit.” he hissed, “Bekah told you.”

Elijah huffed, “That she did. Now, currently, Finn, Niklaus and I are trying to find a suitable punishment for you.”

“Lij, please don’t.” Kol pleaded, running at vampire speed.

Elijah’s voice lowered, “We’ll talk when you come home, Kol.”

“Fuck…” Kol muttered when his brother hung up, then broke into the fastest sprint he could manage, not willing to get in any more trouble with his brothers than he already was.

He sped into the house, dropping his bag then seeing the unamused looks of Elijah and Finn, who both sat on the staircase.

“I swear, I had good intentions and reasons for skipping school.” Kol began.

Finn blurred over, grabbing his wrist hard, “We don’t want to hear it!”

“Finn, please--”

The elder brother used his strength to chuck Kol against a stone wall so hard that it cracked, and Kol’s shoulder shattered upon impact. The younger vampire groaned in pain, clambering to his feet. He met eyes with Elijah for a fleeting second, then the suit-clad Original turned away, unable to watch. Finn grabbed Kol by the throat, lifting him off the ground, tightening his fist so hard around the younger’s neck that the bones there also began to crack and complain. Kol whimpered, and coughed up blood.

“You listen to me, boy.” Finn snarled, “You do not skip school, and you do not threaten to kill a sixteen year old.”

Kol coughed, “Oh, come on! She t-told you that too?”

“Silence!” Finn chucked him across the hall, seeing Kol crack his head against the marble floor, “You listen to me.”

Kol sniffled, touching his own forehead and gasping when he found blood there, “L-Leave me alone.”

“Excuse me?” Finn’s voice raised, “Are you disobeying me?”

In a burst of courage, Kol jumped to his feet and blurred to the ‘Stake Cabinet’, grabbing a chunk of wood, then quickly burying it within Finn’s stomach before realising with horror what he had done. Finn looked outraged, the expression upon his face one that Kol hadn’t ever seen before. It was pure, unadulterated fury.

“You little--”

Kol backed away, into Sage, who grabbed his broken shoulder and forced him to his knees. He gasped in pain, then quickly bit into her shoulder before kicking her away and darting up the stairs, passing Elijah, his fear boiling in his gut. He knew only one thing could settle him -- a cool, thin, silver blade. He continued to run, hearing the stake that was in Finn’s gut clatter to the ground.

“Kol!” he heard Finn shout, and knew that he was in deep trouble, “Kol, come here, or it’s the coffin for you!”

His head snapped back when he heard the word ‘coffin’, and sudden dread filled him, as well as a churning feeling of betrayal. Would Finn, whom had been daggered for over nine hundred years himself be actually willing to dagger his youngest brother?

Kol turned his head, then ran straight into Elijah, who grabbed him tight, holding him against his chest as he whimpered and whined and fought.

“Calm yourself, Kol.” Elijah murmured.

Kol cried, “Let me go!”

“Thank you, Elijah.” Finn’s voice spoke as he drew closer, “Do we dagger him?”

Elijah glared at the weapon that Finn was holding, “Put that away, brother. Honestly, you’re worse than Niklaus.”

“Are you suggesting he should not be punished?” Finn asked.

Elijah replied, “I never said that, brother. It’s just… Not like this. Beat him, or do whatever else you want. Just not this.”

“Very well.” Finn put the dagger in his pocket and pulled out something else -- a syringe, “This contains some of Niklaus’ venom.”

Kol struggled in Elijah’s arms, “No, Finn! I beg of you, please, don’t!” there were tears rolling down his cheeks, “Please don’t. I-I’m sorry. Elijah, tell him no!”

“Do it.” Elijah pulled Kol’s head lightly to the side so Finn could inject him with it.

As soon as he felt the needle brush his throat, Kol kicked Finn in the privates, biting Elijah so he could get out of his grip, then grabbing the syringe and Sage, who lingered down the hall, pointing it at her throat threateningly.

“If I inject her with it, she’ll die slowly and painfully.” Kol threatened, “She can’t survive a bite.”

Finn looked furious, “You let her go this instant, Kol.”

“Why?” Kol asked, tears rolling down his cheeks, “So you can hurt me? Poison me? Betray me? No. I refuse.”

All of a sudden, Klaus blurred behind him and bit into his throat. In shock, he seized up, dropping the syringe and releasing Sage, who ran into Finn’s arms. Klaus kept his fangs buried deep in his brother’s throat until he felt him begin to collapse in his arms. Kol’s eyes flickered shut as darkness filled his vision.

A worried Elijah rushed to him when he fell in a pile on the floor, his neck bleeding, as well as having a still-broken shoulder. Klaus wiped his mouth then turned, blurring downstairs to Rebekah, knowing she would need protection from Kol as a hybrid bite would make him both bloodthirsty and vengeful. And since this was her fault as she had told on him, he would end up coming for her.

“Move him into his bedroom.” Finn commanded, “Chain him up like the animal he is.”

Elijah angrily retorted, “He is no animal! He is our brother!”

“He was willing to kill my darling Sage.” Finn hissed.

Sage reassured him, “I’m okay, Finn, I swear.”

 

“He wouldn’tve done it.” Elijah stated, “And even if he did, he knew Niklaus was here, that he would heal her.”

Finn picked up the syringe and slid it into his pocket, “Unless you wish for the same treatment that our dear Kol got, Elijah, I would recommend that you would do as I say.”

“Yes, Finn.” Elijah mumbled, then heaved a sigh as he turned back to Kol.

He easily lifted his little brother into his room and chained him up with vervain-dripping wire, having to put on gloves to make sure none of the toxin would touch and scorch his flesh. Vervain was like a poison to vampires. Not quite deadly, unless exposed to it for hours, and then the skin would simply just boil and peel away, and all organs would just fall. It could knock a vampire unconscious or burn their flesh, and would make vampires remain weak for hours upon end. Elijah injected Kol with some to make sure that he was weakened throughout the whole horror of the werewolf venom, hoping that he would simply sleep through it all. Of course, that wasn’t realistic.

Elijah sat on Kol’s deskchair, huffing when he saw the younger begin to stir, a pained whimper escaping him.

“Hello, brother.” he murmured.

\--

“He did what?” asked Enzo as Damon tried to explain to him what had occurred earlier that day.

Damon sighed, “He slit his own wrists. I don’t know what he was trying to do, dim the pain, cause himself some, kill himself.”

 

“Well, he does have the signs of manic depression.” Alaric said, drinking from his glass of bourbon.

Enzo replied snarkily, “Well, yeah, probably because he’s insane.”

 

“Think about it though.” Damon began, “Kai grew up always left out, gotta leave some scars.”

Alaric sighed, “We should get his sister to try and speak to him.”

 

“Ric, are you deficient of a brain?” Enzo asked, “She hates him, she’d probably kill him upon sight, Mikaelson rules or not.”

Alaric retorted, “It was just a suggestion, dick. Anyway, she might know a good therapist.”

“Oh, yeah, I can imagine that conversation.” Damon drawled, “I’m Kai and I massacred the majority of my own siblings.”

Alaric narrowed his eyes, “He’s your ally, Damon! Your friend!”

“Yes, my friend who I saw practically bleeding to death.” Damon growled.

Enzo grabbed the bottle of whisky and downed it in one go, earning a glare from Alaric and Damon, “I needed a drink.”

“Enzo, the bourbon monster.” Damon quipped.

Enzo sighed, “I’m on beer run?”

“Not after the other night.” Damon huffed, “It’s late, we can do without. Anyway, I’m gonna retire.”

Alaric sighed, “Me too.”

 

“I’m kind of wired, I’ll join you later, love.” he kissed Damon softly.

Alaric groaned, “You two are gross.”

“Would you like to join us?” Enzo offered sarcastically.

Alaric sassily replied, “You wish, English.” then left the room.

“You know, you should come to bed.” Damon stroked his hand over Enzo’s waist, “We don’t have to sleep.” he sucked kisses over Enzo’s pulse point, running his hand under the band of his boxers.

Enzo let out a soft moan, “O-Or… mmf… you could just fuck me right here.”

“No!” Alaric called down, “You are too loud, Lorenzo. Nobody can sleep when you guys bang.”

Enzo let out an exaggerated moan, lifting his hips to brush against Damon’s hand more, which made more noises fall from his lips. Damon’s hand left him, and unbuckled his belt, kissing down Enzo’s stomach to his hardened length, engulfing it in his mouth and making Enzo’s hands wire into his raven locks.

\--

“Who’s jacket are you wearing?” Elena asked Jeremy, “I know that this is most certainly not your hoodie, so who’s are you wearing?”

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “Relax, Elena, it’s just Kol’s.”

“Kol?” Stefan sounded rather angered, “As in Kol Mikaelson?”

 

Jeremy snapped, “No, the other Kol. Yes, Mikaelson. Fucking hell.”

“Why are you wearing his one?” Stefan questioned.

Jeremy huffed, “What is this, an interrogation? Jeez, it’s just a hoodie loan. I’ll give him it back when I next see him.”

“If you aren’t skiving, you mean.” Elena quipped.

Jeremy groaned, “I already told you, Monique Deveraux was being an utter bitch, so I decided to haul ass out of that shithole. Leave me alone.”

“I will not ‘leave you alone’.” Elena said, “You’re grounded, okay? Just wait till I tell Aunt Jenna in the morning.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes once more, “Aunt Jenna dates Damon’s best friend.”

 

“Go to your room.” Stefan’s voice became hard, “GO NOW!”

Jeremy groaned, “Fine, whatever.” then ran to his room which wasn’t hard to find in this four bedroomed bungalow, it was the one next to the guest room, where he couldn’t bother anybody.

He jumped onto his bed and took off Kol’s hoodie, putting it over the back of his swivel chair, a smile unconsciously grasping his lips. Despite Kol’s shit attempt at telling him not to like him, he couldn’t help himself. The Original was just… irrisistible. Jeremy took a look at his own wrists and huffed in dissatisfaction when he saw that everything was healed, every single scar.

Jeremy opened his drawer and stretched for his ‘box of secret things’, pulling it out and resting it on his lap. Some of the stuff in here were sixteen years old. He lifted the lid, seeing the photographs of his family before the bridge had torn it apart, pictures of his beloved mom smiling. His first teddy was in there, as well as a strange rock he had found on a beach, an old compass and a necklace. Underneath everything, all the happy memories, was a bloodied razor blade, one that peversed the whole box, that nullified each and every bit of joy and nostalgia that it held. It was the thing that brought him back to reality, which told him his parents were both dead, that he was leading a crappy life, that he was nothing but a gay cutter who nobody cared about.

His hand reached within the box and pulled out the thin line of silver that glinted in the glow of his lamp. This was the tiny sliver of hope he had, the one thing that kept him grounded, the metal that delivered the sweetest agony. He heaved a shaky sigh, desperate for Stefan not to hear him, yet still knowing that if he did not hear him, he would smell the crimson desire, the food of his kind.

Stefan knew about his cutting, so did Elena and Jenna, but neither three even cared, they were all so wrapped up in their own lives, or in Stefan and Elena’s case, each other.

Jeremy released a small hiss of pain when the silver saviour drew the slightest amount of red, a feeling of perverse euphoria washed over him, a taboo sense of joy, something that nobody could really understand.

When he was done, his arm was covered in ladders of red once more, the scars not too deep luckily. He felt his heart throbbing in his chest and put the band aids he kept in the bottom drawer over each welling cut.

Jeremy’s eyes flickered to his alarm clock -- it was now ten thirty, and he had to go to school the next day. He exhaled, putting the box away then turned out the light after changing his clothes, clambering under the covers. His eyes never left Kol’s hoodie, and he couldn’t help the smile that yet again, possessed him.

\--

Elijah watched in worry as his brother screamed and writhed in pain from the bite, hot tears cascading down his cheeks. He knew that yet again, his fear of Finn had cost Kol’s welfare. He reached to touch Kol’s hair but the younger snapped venomously at him.

“Don’t touch me! This is bloody your fault!”

Thunder crashed, and he attempted to mull over the last time he had betrayed Kol so badly, and many different instances popped into his mind. Somehow, in their game of happy families, Kol always ended up alone.

“Kill me… Kill me… It hurts.” Kol pleaded.

Elijah blinked a few times, “Kol, no.” he knelt closer.

All of a sudden, with a burst of inhuman strength, the feverish Kol broke through the wire and snapped Elijah’s neck before getting up and stumbling towards the door and opening it. The beast was free.


	5. Chapter Four - Never Let Me Go

‘It’s your fault.’

 

Kol stumbled through the Mikaelson house, his bloodied handprints leaving a path on the white walls, his vision blurry from the fever that swept over him.  His temperature was skyrocketting as the minutes passed, a sweat dripping down his forehead.  His neck ached from the bite, and he felt like he was going to either be sick or pass out.  
  


“What are you doing out of bed?” Finn’s muffled voice caught his attention, “What did you do to Elijah, you imbecillic boy?”

 

Kol looked up at his brother, only to see Matt Donovan standing there, blue eyes filled with rage, blood dripping down his neck, arm bent at an unnatural angle.

 

“You killed me.” the human hissed, “You did this.  You murdered me in cold blood.”  
  


Kol shuddered, “Leave me alone, you bastard.  You’re nothing but a cruel spectre.”

 

“Kol.” Finn’s voice spoke again, only from Matt’s mouth, and an arm gripped his wrist hard, “You will listen to me.” now the figure grabbing him spoke with a medley of both voices, a deep darkness to it, “You’re being punished.  You deserved to be punished.”  
  


Kol snarled, eyes reddening vampirically, using whatever disappating strength he had to push the assailant away from him, seeing him fall down the stairs and break his neck at the bottom.  Kol stepped forward to confirm who it was, and shuddered when he saw his eldest brother lying in a heap, unconscious.  His hands shook by his side, and an anger suddenly burned through him when it occured to him who’s fault this punishment was.  Rebekah.  He would have to get revenge.

 

Dawn cracked through the curtains, a ray of sunlight shining on Kol’s face, and he wondered how long he had been out for, how long Elijah had allowed him to slumber restlessly, screaming in pain.

 

Slowly, he dragged his leg as he turned, pain suddenly shooting up it.  He looked down and cried out when he saw a gaping wound in it, his hands flying to the crevass in his limb, only to find nothing there, just a trouser leg.  He sniffled, then shuffled down the corridor, his vampiric hearing perking to try and find where his sister was.  He gasped in a tiny breath when he heard the sound of his sister’s voice moaning in either pleasure or pain, he couldn’t quite tell what it was.  Eyes watering, he followed the source of the sound, finding himself outside one of the many guest rooms.

 

His hand shook as he pushed open the door, revealing his sister, who’s back was arched as a person had their head nestled between her legs, obviously pleasuring her.

 

“Kol!” she snapped, “Privacy!”

 

The person who was causing her pleasure raised their head, revealing the feminine face that was framed with bouncy dark curls.  The woman licked her lips with her pink tongue, then grinned at Kol as Rebekah made herself decent.  Kol instantly recognised the girl who was arrogantly staring him down.

 

“Katerina.” he groaned, leaning against the door, “Master Niklaus awaits.”

 

Katherine Pierce sat opposite, brushing back a curl from her face, “So I see that you pet Klaus on one of his bad days?”

 

“Rebekah…” Kol blurred over, nearly tripping over Rebekah’s bedside table, “Henrik, he stole your necklace…”

 

Rebekah gasped, “That was over a thousand years ago brother.”

 

“You bitch…” Kol blurred forward and grabbed Katherine by the throat, “You tried to evade my brother, but it is I who will bring you to justice.”

 

Rebekah touched his arm, “Kol, please.”

 

“Go away.” Kol pushed Katherine down when he saw Matt standing in Rebekah’s place, “You’re dead, I murdered you.  And I loved it.”

 

Matt’s face twisted with a maniacal smirk, and Kol backed into the corner, running his hands through his hair, shuddering as tears fell from his eyes.  His stomach was in agony, and he didn’t quite know what to do.  His temples rang with pain, and every sound and light was too much for him.

 

“Nik… you bastard.” he snapped, seeing Klaus stand in Rebekah’s place now, smirking proudly as he held a dagger, “You daggered me… again.  Eighty years.  Eighty bloody years.  You fucking--” he blurred forward, grabbing the image of his brother by the throat and pinning it against the wall.

 

Rebekah’s voice gasped and choked, “Kol!  Let me go!”

 

“Rebekah!” Katherine cried, “Release her, you son of a bitch!”  
  


Rebekah looked towards her friend and fuckbuddy, “Run, Katerina.  Go!”

 

Katherine gave a quick glance before blurring out, her own life more important to her than Rebekah’s.

 

“You murdered me like the animal you are!” Matt’s voice growled to Kol, getting under his skin.

 

Kol snarled, “Shut your mouth.” then bit into the body beneath him’s neck, making Rebekah cry out.

 

“What the hell is--” Klaus saw Kol attacking his sister, “Kol!” he blurred over and tore the younger away, eyes glowing gold with rage, “Rebekah, leave.”

 

Kol looked like a deer caught in headlights when his sister ran past him, panting and staring up in fright at Klaus, “I-I didn’t do anything.  P-Please, Finn… Don’t…”

 

“You’re hallucinating.” Klaus sighed, “Wonderful.”

  
Kol growled, “Nik, don’t you dare stand by him.  It’s typical for this family to betray me.” he dashed over to Rebekah’s bedside table and broke a leg off it, then with a burst of speed, stabbed Klaus in the stomach with it, making the hybrid scream in pain as he was suddenly pinned to the wall like a painting.

 

The younger Original stumbled down the stairs and finally escaped the house and gates, the streets facing him blurring and doubling.  He felt even worse than before, and before he reached the end of the street, collapsed to his knees, retching and vomiting up blood.  He got back up, wiping his eyes and continued to walk, his legs trembling.

 

“Kol?” a familiar voice asked, and when he turned, he saw Bonnie standing with Kai, both staring in confusion.

 

Kol coughed, “Little witch.  Bit ill, ‘m afraid.  I-- Oh, God.” he fell to his knees when a pain struck his gut.

 

“What’s with the dramatics?” asked Kai.

 

Bonnie noticed the gaping wound on Kol’s neck and gasped, “We need to get away from him, Kai.  He’s been bitten by a werewolf or a hybrid.”

 

“And?” Kai was cut off when Kol blurred him to a wall.

 

Kol snapped at his neck, “I’ll kill you!”

 

“Modus!” Bonnie chanted, and Kol was flung away from Kai, landing on the ground.

 

The witch locked eyes with Kai, and he nodded, both of them breaking into a sprint away from the sick vampire, not wanting to become his breakfast.

 

\--

 

“Time for school, Jeremy!” called Elena, “Come on…  Jer!”

 

Jeremy walked through, his shoulders slumped in grumpiness, “I don’t want to go, Elena.”

 

“Look, you have to go!” his Aunt Jenna hissed from the kitchen, failing at making breakfast, “You’ll get in trouble.”

 

The teenager rolled his eyes, “I don’t care.  We’re stuck in a city run by psycho vamps, and you’re worried about my damn grades?”  
  


“Speaking of which, return Kol’s jacket!” Stefan reminded.

 

Jeremy sighed, “I’ve got the feeling he won’t be there today.”

 

“Why not?” asked Elena.

 

Jeremy shrugged, “He skipped, and he was probably late home.  Strict family.”

 

“I think that Finn and Elijah are actually rather nice.” Elena defended.

 

Jeremy narrowed his eyes, “That’s because you don’t live his life.”

 

“Toast is ready!” Jenna called.

 

Jeremy huffed, “Not hungry!”

 

“You barely eat, you always lock yourself in your room and you’re skipping school.” Elena huffed, “We’re worried, Jer.”  
  


Jeremy rolled his eyes, grabbing Kol’s hoodie from his room quickly, “You needn’t be.  I’m cool as a cucumber, Elena.  Just don’t be late for college missus.”

 

“Shut up.” Elena grumbled, “Stefan, are you going to be at college today, or organize another militia to take down Enzo?”

 

Jenna looked confused, “Another what now?”

 

“I kinda got Anna and Lexi to sideline him.” Stefan explained, “Only because he is so irritating.  And Elena, I’ll be at college.  Caroline is at school with Anna, Lexi at work.  I can be with you all day.”

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “I’m leaving before you two start kissing.” he opened the front door only to bump into someone who he didn’t expect to see -- Kol.

 

“Invite-- Invite me in.” Kol pleaded, “Do it, please!”  
  


Jeremy looked up and down the vampire, “Uh, come in.  What’s wrong?”

  
“Who is it?” Stefan came over, “Kol--” he saw the bite on the Original’s neck, “Jeremy… come away.  Now.”

 

Jeremy looked confused, “Why?”  
  


“He’s been bitten.” Stefan’s eyes didn’t leave the wound, “He’s incredibly volatile right now, and not your friend.”

 

Jeremy blinked, “He won’t hurt me--”

 

The teenager was cut off roughly when his body was forced against the wall by the Original vampire, his fangs tearing deep into his throat, making the human cry out in pain.  Kol swallowed the red fluid that flooded past his lips desperately, like a desert dweller at an oasis, a drowning man with air.  He needed blood, and his rage, and pain, and hunger wouldn’t allow him to see whom he was harming.  His fingers dug sharply into Jeremy’s shoulder, and he could hear the human’s heartbeat throbbing, and it excited the animal within him.

 

“Kol!” Stefan called, “Get away from him!”  
  


The Original raised his head, looking positively rabid before releasing the human and stalking near Stefan, who, knowing he had an advantage over the sick vampire, blurred behind him and snapped his neck.  Stefan ran to Jeremy and speedily fed him his blood, seeing the wound Kol had caused him heal.

 

“Elijah’s not picking up!” Elena sounded frustrated as she walked into the kitchen.

 

A voice spoke, “Probably because my baby brother snapped his neck.” Klaus stood at the door, “Pass him over, Stefan, good lad.”

 

Stefan lifted the unconscious, feverish Original and handed him over to the elder one, who lifted him over his shoulder, huffing before blurring away.

 

“A ‘thank you’ would’ve been appreciated!” Stefan called after the hybrid, earning no reply.

 

\--

  
Klaus dumped the unconscious Kol on the sofa, then kicked Finn, who was lying face down at the bottom of the stairs in a puddle of his own blood.

 

“Wake up, brother.” he muttered, sounding impatient, then called up the stairs, “Elijah!”

 

His elder brother slowly approached the top of the staircase, looking rather dishevelled, “What happened?”

 

“It seems Kol, despite being bitten, was able to subdue both yourself and Finn, even stab me before making it to the Gilberts and being taken down by Stefan Salvatore.” Klaus replied, and kicked Finn again, “Wake up, you stupid bastard.”

 

Finn let out a small moan of pain, then his eyes flickered open, “What on earth?” he clambered to his feet.

 

“I’ll go see to Kol.” Elijah said, speeding into the living room and seeing his brother feverishly groan and whimper in his slumber, his broken neck healed but still slumbering, “Oh, my little brother…” Elijah sighed, ashamed, knowing that this was partly his fault, “I am such a hypocrite, I realise that now.” he walked over to the cupboard and reached inside, grabbing a small bottle of something, and a syringe.

 

He pulled out the bottle, looking at the yellowish fluid that was held inside.  He walked back over to his brother and knelt beside him, brushing back a bit of hair that stuck to his sweaty forehead.

 

“This bottle has enough concentrated vervain to keep Niklaus down for a few hours, so it will hopefully keep you down, or at least weakened.” Elijah injected his little brother with it, hearing him release a small moan of discontent before he finally settled, “I would get Niklaus’ blood for you, but I regret to admit, I am rather afraid of our elder brother.  Although this is my deepest secret, I would like you to know whilst you slumber, Kol, I do love you and all of this family but sometimes, I loathe myself due to how you suffer around Finn.  It is my fault, I am to blame.”

 

Kol let out another small moan of pain, shuffling slightly.  Elijah huffed and pressed a small kiss to his little brother’s forehead, taking his hand.  He hated seeing him suffer so.  The childish life that filled Kol normally now was gone, dark bags under his eyes, his skin pale white and soaked with sweat.

 

“Elijah.” Finn’s voice called from the doorway, “Come away.”

 

Elijah looked up, “I cannot leave him.  The vervain might not be enough.”

 

“Do not attempt to deceive me, little brother.” Finn patronized, “I am aware that you have vervain strong enough to put our abominable brother Niklaus to sleep, and that is what you injected him with.  And whilst Kol is many things -- insane, impulsive, deadly -- he is not stronger than Niklaus.”

 

Elijah looked down, “I do not wish to leave him.  He is my brother, and I love him.”

 

“And you suggest I do not?” Finn looked outraged, “It doesn’t matter to you though that I was stored in a box like some toy for nine hundred years?”

 

Elijah cried, “Of course it does!  I was against Niklaus when it came to keeping you and our siblings subdued.”

 

“And yet you did not free me.” Finn stepped in front of his brother, eyes boring a hole into him, “Plus, that brother you care about so much, Kol?” Finn looked over at him for a few fleeting seconds, then back to Elijah, “You helped dagger him thrice!”  
  


Elijah snapped back, “For Niklaus’ sake!  That’s why!  I did it for Niklaus, because Kol was jeopardising any chance we had at happiness by doing all he could to get back at Niklaus.”

 

“You are a hypocrite, Elijah.” Finn hissed, “You say you care about this family, yet you blindly followed Niklaus as he tore it apart.”

 

Elijah looked at Kol, “I am aware of my hypocrisy.  I am aware that I am responsible and to blame partly for Kol’s behavior and the way he feels about this family.  And I am trying so, so hard to try and make up for it.” he looked up, “You, you are the eldest, so if you go about holding grudges, then you are immature.  Rebekah, she already forgives me, Niklaus is halfway there, but Kol?  Kol is the one who can hold a grudge.  He still holds one against Rebekah for telling Niklaus and myself about the golden dagger.”

 

“He is a stupid boy who has spent his entire immortal life plotting, murdering and maiming his way through towns and families.” Finn growled, “And he pretends like he is broken, mutilating himself and lashing out!”

 

Elijah sighed, brushing more of Kol’s hair back, “He is broken, brother.  Are you telling me that you do not hear him, weeping in the night?  He told me the other day that he’d rather die than be here.”

 

“Well, I know where the white oak stake is, so I would be happy to oblige--”

 

Elijah scorned, “Do not joke about that, Finn!  Not after everything.  After… After Henrik and Freya.”  
  


“You did not know Freya!” Finn grabbed Elijah’s arm, “She was pure, she was light!  And she deserved to live, more than any of us!”

 

Klaus’ voice joined in the conversation, “You do not get to make that decision, brother.  I do.”

 

“Niklaus.” Finn looked up, “Come to complain?  To dagger me once more?”

 

Klaus looked rather hurt at that, “I swore not to do that ever again unless it was necessary.”

 

“And when will you decide that, huh?”  Finn challenged, “When will it be necessary for you?”

 

Kol let out a small cough from pain, his eyes flying open, “What the--”

 

“Seems the venom wore off.” Klaus looked toward his younger brother and grinned, “Have fun trying to explain everything he did to people.” he sashayed out of the room.

 

Kol looked confusedly at his brothers, “Why do I feel drunk?”

  
\--

 

“Calm down, Bon Bon.” Damon huffed, “I may be a vampire, but I’m not Superman.  Start over, okay?”

 

Bonnie looked towards Kai, then back to Damon, “Kol was bitten by a wolf or a hybrid, and-- and he attacked us.”

 

“Nearly became a Happy Meal.” Kai muttered.

 

Enzo sat on the table, “Maybe it was Klaus who bit him.  You know the Mikaelsons and punishment.”

 

“If Klaus wanted to hurt him, he’d just dagger him.” Damon sighed, “I doubt he’d bite him.”

 

Enzo crossed his arms, “It’s Niklaus Mikaelson we are talking about, Damon.  He’s a crazy bastard, but I don’t think he’d dagger them again.  He’s got what he wanted.”

 

“Well, we know the younger siblings get beaten.” Alaric inputted, “Marks on Rebekah’s body.”

 

Enzo narrowed his eyes, “Why are you staring at her body exactly?”

 

“Oh, shut up Enzo!” Alaric grumbled.

 

Damon shushed them, “Tyler’s car’s just pulled up.”

 

“And?” Kai looked confused.

 

Damon whispered, “He’s sired to Klaus.  If he tells him we’re gossiping about his family…”

 

“Okay.  Gotcha.” Kai sighed.

 

Enzo asked, “How are you anyway, Kai?”

 

“I’m here!” Tyler’s voice called as he entered the house, a grin upon his face.

 

Kai shrugged, “I’m okay, I-I guess.  Don’t wanna talk emotions with a bloodsucker.”

 

“What’s going on?” Tyler walked into the room, “Mm, Bonnie, I like your hair today!”  
  


Alaric looked confused, “You okay, Ty?  You seem… different.”

 

“I’m okay!” Tyler smiled, “Why?”

 

Enzo queried, “Okay, who is she?”

 

“Huh?”

 

Enzo asked, “The girl you’re shagging?  You’ve obviously been laid.”

 

“You don’t know her, so I’m not sharing.” Tyler huffed, “You dudes got any bourbon?”

 

Enzo shrugged, “You got any ID?”

 

“Okay, party police!” Tyler rolled his eyes, then saw Bonnie and Kai shuffle awkwardly, “What’s up with you two?”

 

Kai replied nervously, “Nothing!”

 

“Mmm hmm.” Tyler crossed his arms, unconvinced, “Sure.”

 

Bonnie huffed, “It’s kind of personal for him.”  
  
“What?” Tyler asked, “What happened?”  
  


Kai’s head dropped, “I-I… I tried to… I slit my wrists yesterday.”

 

“Oh.” Tyler paused, “Why?”

 

Kai’s eyes filled with tears, “I-I…”

 

“Leave him, mate.” Enzo breathed, “Kai, you don’t have to.”  
  


Kai rubbed his eyes, “Why do I keep fucking crying?”

 

“Kai…” Bonnie went to touch his arm but was shrugged off.

 

He shook his head, “I can’t…” he whimpered, then stormed out of the room.

 

“Well done.” Bonnie grumbled, glaring at Tyler, then followed Kai out of the room.

 

Alaric huffed, “You should’ve just left it, man.”

 

“I only asked!” Tyler defended.

 

Enzo snapped, “And if I asked how your little slave master is doing?”

 

“Enzo!” Damon cried, “Be careful!”

 

Tyler rolled his eyes, “This is because of the damned sire bond.”

 

“Actually, yes, it is!” Enzo growled, “Because Klaus took you to obedience class, we all have to be careful about what we say!”

 

Damon rested a hand on Enzo’s shoulder, “Enzo, please…”

 

“No, Damon, it needs said or it’ll be an elephant in the room forever.” Enzo sighed, then turned to Tyler, “We have no idea what we can say around you before you blab it all to Klaus!”

 

Tyler retorted, “You don’t know how it feels!  I owe him my life because he took that damn curse away!  I’m happily loyal to him!”

 

“So if he asked you to kill someone you love?” Enzo asked, crossing his arms.

 

Tyler stammered, “He w-wouldn’t ask th-that of me!”

 

“Oh, really?” Enzo growled, “Get out.  I don’t fancy having a spy for Klaus on our team!”

 

Tyler shouted, “Fine!  Screw you all!” then stormed out.

 

“Well done, buddy,” Alaric touched Enzo’s shoulder, “You got a pissed off hybrid on our ass.”

 

Enzo huffed, “I said my opinion -- what everyone here has been afraid to say.”

 

“And if he tells Klaus?” Damon challenged.

 

A female voice cut in to the conversation, “I wouldn’t worry about the Originals if I were you.  I mean, I am dating the oldest.”

 

“Sage.” Damon smiled when he turned, “How nice to see you here.  How’s Finn?”

 

Sage sighed, “Not well, unfortunately.  His idiot of a younger brother, Kol skipped school yesterday and threatened Monique Deveraux as well as myself.”  
  


“I’m guessing that he’s not very happy with Kol?” Alaric stated the obvious.

 

Sage shook her head, red curls bouncing on her shoulders, framing her face, “He’s been bitten by Niklaus, but I guess he’dve healed by now.”

 

“Shit…” Enzo sat down, “Bitten… That’s a bit mean.”  
  


Sage scoffed, “He was willing to kill me, Lorenzo.  Hardly mean.”

 

“He wouldn’tve done it.” Damon betted, “The guy’s a coward.”

 

Sage looked confusedly up the stairs, “Who’s crying?”

 

“Oh, it’s just Kai.  He’ll be okay.” Enzo shook it off.

 

Alaric looked at the clock, “That’s me off to school!”

 

“See you later, Ric!” Damon smiled.

 

\--

 

“B-Bonnie…” Kai whimpered, “I shouldn’tve told him…”

 

Bonnie was holding Kai close, her lips buried in his hair, hand stroking over his arm, “Shh…”

 

“I’m an- an idiot.  I’m a k-killer.” Kai pulled away and swiped at his cobalt eyes before sniffling, “I need to stop this.  I’m a liability this way.” he swallowed back his tears, although every single inch of him just wanted to break into a million pieces, “I’ll be okay.”  
  


Bonnie took his hand, “Are you sure?  You don’t need to force yourself…”

 

“Bon, I’ve got to stop this.” Kai huffed, “I can’t be the man you want, you deserve when I’m always crying.”

 

She kissed his temple, “I love you either way, Kai Parker.”

 

“I love you too, Bonnie Bennett.” he turned and kissed her softly, his eyes shutting at the same time as hers.

 

He detested closing his eyes whilst kissing, he preferred to see Bonnie, watch her reaction to see if she was enjoying it.  Sometimes whilst kissing, he’d let his eyes crack open a tiny bit, and although he probably looked weird, it was worth those few seconds of light and happiness.

 

Their kiss grew in intensity, and Kai felt Bonnie’s hands run over his shoulder and gently, they pushed him down against the bed, her petite form straddling his own, gently grinding into his lap.  She felt his growing arousal under her and grinned, feeling his lips anxiously search her skin.

 

“Oh, get out of our house if you two are going to fuck!” Enzo called upstairs, “I would rather not hear that!”

 

Bonnie clambered off Kai’s lap, staring at his lips, “L-Lets just get home.”  
  


“Yeah.” Kai swallowed, “L-Lets.”  
  


\--

 

“Are you going to behave yourself?” asked Finn as he finished delivering Kol a pretty brutal belting.

 

Kol whimpered and nodded, “Y-Yes, sir.”

 

“Good.” the elder dropped him to his knees, “By the way, you attacked Kai Parker and Jeremy Gilbert as well as us.”

 

Kol looked shocked, “I attacked Jeremy?  I-Is he okay?”

 

“Does it matter?” asked Finn, “Leave my office.”

 

Kol shakily clambered to his feet, pain shooting up his body, “P-Please Finn.” he begged, tears flooding from his eyes, “Just tell me.”

 

“He’s fine.” Finn sighed, “Now go.”

 

Kol nodded, opening the door and stumbling out, the effects of the strengthened vervain shot and Finn’s beating disorientating him, making his entire vision blur.  He fell, only to land in Elijah’s arms, his brother immediately running to his aid.  He couldn’t stop the tears that escaped him, and in that moment, part of him wished he was dead.  Elijah helped Kol to the sofa, and knelt beside him as his vision flickered before his eyes, black spots in front of his eyes.

 

“Oh, my darling brother…” sighed Elijah, “I am so sorry.”

  
Kol growled, “Save it.  You still allow him t-to beat me and harm me.”

 

“Kol…” Elijah tried to explain himself, but the words failed to come to his tongue.

 

Kol’s voice broke, “I’m frightened of him, ‘Lijah.”

 

“I know you are, Kol…” Elijah’s own voice dropped to a barely audible whisper, “So am I.”

 

Kol drew his knees up to his chest, then cried out when an unbearable pain snapped through his body, making him once again straighten his body, “This is y-your fault!”

 

“I know.” Elijah looked down, ashamed, “I wish you knew how much I detest myself for ever allowing him to harm you.” he swallowed, then finally got the confidence to lock eyes with his little brother, “I failed you, Kol.  I failed this whole family.”  
  


Kol’s eyes wandered away, and he attempted to stand, “I must apologise to Jeremy.”  
  


“You are too weak.” Elijah stated, “Besides, it is during class time right now!”

 

\--

 

“Dude, can you quit that?” Josh stared at Jeremy, who was drumming his fingers annoyingly against the desk, “Try’na concentrate here.”  
  


Jeremy laughed, “It’s study, Josh.  Nobody concentrates here.  Where’s Caroline?”

 

“I don’t know…” the vampire replied, “She’s your friend!”

 

Anna poked Jeremy with a pencil in the back, “She was here when I arrived.  She said she’s out with her boyfriend.”

 

“Didn’t know she had a boyfriend…” Jeremy looked confused, “What about Kol?  And now to think about it, where the hell is Rebekah?”

 

Rebekah strolled in, “Present!  But don’t expect Kol to turn up, he’s in a load of trouble for skipping school.” she saw Jeremy’s bite mark, “Ouch, looks nasty!”

 

“I’m fine.” Jeremy huffed, “Seriously… hurry up, Caroline…”

 

\--

 

“Unh!” Caroline grunted as Tyler fucked her up against the janitor’s closet’s wall.

 

Tyler glared, “Shush!  You don’t want someone to walk in on us!” he thrust hard up into her, her legs tightly wrapped around his waist.

 

“We can compel them if they do, dumbass!  Just… fuck me harder!” the end of her sentence disappeared into a gasp as he rutted into her, “Oh my--”

 

He scolded her again, “Shut up for God’s sake!”

 

“Listen, uhm, hybrid boy!” she used her strength to impale herself onto his hardness, making him cry out softly, “See?  Not easy!” she released a shuddery moan as his lips consumed her breast, his hips speeding up to near vampire speed, “Wait!  L-Let me stand, take me f-from behind, I can bite into my arm then to shut myself, uh, up!”

 

Tyler sighed, “Fine.  But hurry!”

 

“So bossy today!” Caroline remarked as she hopped down and turned away from him, her hands pressing against the wall to give her leverage.

 

Tyler’s hands gripped her waist and she could feel his arousal against her skin, then gasped out when he slid into her, one of his hands teasing a breast, the other finding her sweet spot in between her legs.  She was dizzy with pleasure, and there was no way she was going to allow him to win this little game so squeezed her legs tight together as he thrust up into her, her muscles teasing him.

 

“I’m close, Tyler…” she breathed as his lips dusted kisses over her back.

 

His hips finally reached vampire speed, and neither of them could help the sounds being forced from their throats although they desperately attempted to stifle them.  Caroline climaxed with a whimpering moan, her wetness flooding over his fingers whilst he filled her whilst releasing a muffled cry of her name into her shoulder, his lips sucking a bruise there, not quite biting.

 

What Caroline loved the most about sex with Tyler was that he wasn’t quiet -- he was loud, and it was rough, passionate, and she always came so hard with him.  None of her -- many -- other sexual partners had known her body as well as he did.

 

She felt him pull out from her, seeing him clean himself up, pulling on his clothes.  A devilish grin was planted onto his face, and she couldn’t help but return it as she pulled on her dress and scarf, tying her sweaty hair back.

 

“Later…” Tyler ran his hand up and down her leg, “I am going to make you scream as I eat you out, you got it?”

 

Caroline groaned, “Yes sir.”

 

All of a sudden, Tyler’s phone, which had been resting on a shelf lit up.  Out of the corner of her eyes, Caroline read the message her hybrid boyfriend had received.

 

*

 

Klaus:

 

Go and fetch me some more blood, as well as milk and eggs for the servants.

 

*

 

“My God…” she gasped, “You’re not just sired… you’re his slave.”

 

Tyler grumbled, “Not you too..”

 

“He is using you!” Caroline tried to explain, “Can’t you see it?” she cupped his cheek, “Please tell me you can see it…”  
  


Tyler huffed, “He saved me from the werewolf curse.  There is a reason it’s a curse, Care.”

 

“But it isn’t worth your free will.” Caroline took his hand, “Look, take it from somebody that was compelled to have sex with and be the feeding toy of Damon Salvatore.  Free will is a gift.  It’s the greatest gift anybody can have, so don’t try and say Klaus is saving you -- he’s using you.”

 

Tyler looked down, “You doubt me.”

 

“No I don’t.” she sighed, “I gotta go to class.” she kissed his lips softly, “Look after yourself, Tyler.  You know I care about you.”

 

\--

 

“Where the hell were you?” asked Jeremy when Caroline walked into his class finally, “Thought you’d died spontaneously!”

 

Caroline arched an eyebrow, “Your idea of Physics is messed up, Jer.”  
  


“You smell of sex.” Josh stated, “Seriously, though.”  
  


Caroline tilted her head, “Why don’t you go and fuck your little boyfriend, Josh?”

 

“Because unlike some people, he doesn’t just automatically inherit money, so has to get something called a job, and not as a used up prostitute.” he grinned after his retort.

 

Caroline narrowed her eyes, “Asshole.  What’s Little D got?”

  
“Davina has Maths I think.” Anna replied, “Can someone tell Jer here to do something called smile?”

 

Jeremy sighed, “I’m fine.”

 

“Whatever.” Josh plugged in one of his earphones, listening to the beats that played from his iPod.

 

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “What on earth is that bloody noise coming from your iPod?”

 

“They’re called Signum.  They’re awesome!” Josh replied, seeing Jeremy’s grimace, “What?  My dancey club stuff is better than music that is always about death!”

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “Hardly always about death.  I’m pretty sure MCR’s You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison isn’t about death… well, depends how you look at it.”

 

“A ‘little death’?” Josh grinned.

 

Jeremy nodded, “Yep.”

 

“Unfortunately for you, Gilbert, only your hand can give you little deaths.” Caroline remarked.

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “Whatever, blondie.”

 

\--

 

“Kol?” Elijah asked, standing at his brother’s door, “Are you sleeping?”

 

Kol looked up from his windowsill and shook his head, “I think the vervain is finally wearing off.”

 

“Oh, good.” Elijah forced a smile, “I didn’t really wish to vervain you anyway, but with you being practically rabid, I had to.”

 

Kol rolled his eyes, “You didn’t have to, you would just rather hurt me than have Nik hurt, or Finn.”

 

“You attacked your friends!” Elijah defended.

 

Well, perhaps if you hadn’tve let me get bitten…

 

Kol couldn’t say that out loud and risk another beating so instead dropped his head against the window, “I didn’t mean to.  I guess I just screw everything up.”

 

“Don’t say that.” Elijah sighed, “I am the one who is so terrified of Finn that I allow him to harm you.”

 

Kol looked up, “I hate living here, ‘Lijah.  It’s like living in what I imagine Hell to be like.”  
  


“Don’t be melodramatic.” said Finn, who pushed past Elijah into Kol’s room, “Right… this place needs cleaned.  What is the phrase… messy environment, messy mind?”

 

Kol groaned, “The one place where I can be myself, and you wish it to be changed to your idea.” he crossed his arms, his feet being rested against the wall, “Go fuck yourself, Finn.”  
  


“Do you want another beating, Kol Mikaelson?” Finn’s expression was hard, “I’d be glad to give you one.”

 

Kol laughed humorlessly, “Even if I say no, you’ll still give me one.” he clambered to his feet, “Because you really do not care what I think -- to you, I’m simply a punching bag, something for you to release your fury onto because you realised just how fucked up and dull you really are.  When you hit me, you are just thinking about how you wish it could be you, beating the vampirism out your boring body--”

 

Finn cut Kol off with a hard punch that nearly knocked the younger off his feet, Elijah flinching at the sound.  Finn grabbed Kol by the throat, lifting him off the ground and pinning him to the wall, his nails digging into the younger’s flesh, eyes burning figurative holes into him.

 

“If I am so ‘fucked up’, you wouldn’t mind being daggered, would you?” Finn snarled, “Or perhaps I’ll get Niklaus to bite you once more.   Or I could stake you.”

 

Kol coughed, struggled and choked, “Please, F-Finn, let me go!”  
  


“No!” Finn shouted, accentuating his fury by banging Kol’s head hard against the wall, yet again, making Elijah flinch, “You will learn to behave or so help me God, I will end you!”

 

Kol whimpered, “I’m sorry!  I’m sorry, please let me go, Finn, I’ll behave I swear, just let me go!”

 

“Do you promise?” Finn growled.

 

Kol tried to nod, but Finn’s grip was too tight, “I… promise!”

 

“Good.” Finn dropped Kol then blurred out of the room, leaving his youngest living brother coughing and choking, a dark red mark barely healing on his throat.

 

Elijah rushed over, attempting to help Kol, but was shrugged off, “Kol?”

 

“You just let him choke me!” Kol cried, tears flooding down his cheeks, “You just stood there, when you could’ve easily st-stopped him!”

 

Elijah stammered, “Brother… you do not understand…”  
  


“What?” Kol snapped, “That it’s okay for me to get hurt as long as the others are happy?  Fuck you, Elijah!  F-Fuck you!” he clambered to his feet, “I’m going out.” he saw Elijah’s look, “What?  Am I bloody grounded now?”  
  


Elijah sighed, “Just stay, and we can discuss this.”  
  


“Discuss what?” Kol crossed his arms, “Your amazing disregard for my wellbeing?”

 

Elijah shook his head, “Don’t be like this, Kol…”

 

“Get away from me!” Kol yelled as he darted downstairs, then out of the house.

 

He had to find Jeremy and apologise for biting him -- then he’d have to find somewhere else to crash -- he couldn’t live with them anymore.  Rebekah, the bratty whore who was sleeping with the enemy, Katerina Petrova.  Niklaus, the raging psychopath who didn’t care about anyone but himself and his hybrids.  Elijah, the one who continually allowed Kol to be harmed because of his fear of Finn, then went around calling himself noble -- a noble hypocrite maybe.  And then there was Finn and Sage, the two who only existed to keep Kol in line.

 

Kol sniffled -- he was hungry -- he hadn’t fed properly in hours, perhaps days.  He rubbed his eyes, trying to look less pathetic.  He was a predator -- an animal -- a monster.

 

“Hey, are you okay?” a woman asked, walking over, “Dude?”

 

Kol looked up to see a woman he didn’t really recognise, one who had been wandering the street corners.  His eyes filled with red as the bloodlust overtook him, and with a burst of speed, he forced the woman against a wall, meeting eyes with her.

 

“Don’t scream.” he said, and he felt the rush of power that usually came with compulsion, “This won’t hurt.”

 

As gently as possible -- he didn’t intend to kill her -- Kol wired one of his hands in her hair and touched her shoulder with the other, tilting her head to the side, baring her neck to him, the veins pulsating underneath the pearly white skin.  Kol struck quickly, feeling the woman jerk slightly at the odd feeling, the vampire’s fangs deeply embedded into her neck, her blood flooding into his mouth, some running down her neck and his chin.  A small moan of pleasure escaped Kol as the warmth run down his throat, sating the burning hunger within him.  He couldn’t help grinding himself against the body below him -- feeding was a sexual experience most of the time.

 

The woman sighed into his ear, and when he heard her heartbeat begin to slow down, he tore himself away, seeing that only a few drops were running below her black shirt.  To heal her wound, he bit into his own wrist and put it to her lips, seeing her weakly swallow.  The two red holes in her throat closed up, and Kol brushed away the excess drips, smiling towards the woman.

 

“What is your name?” he asked, eyes searching the woman’s face.

 

The girl replied, “Cara.  What’s yours?”  
  


“That doesn’t matter, Cara.” Kol met eyes with her once more, “Thank you for giving me your blood.  You will remember none of this.”

 

She blinked a few times, then stared at him, “What happened there?”

 

“You kind of spaced out.” Kol said, wiping the blood off his face.

 

She looked confused, “Oh, okay.” then walked away.

 

\--

 

By the time Kol had arrived at the school, it was time for everybody to go home.  He saw Jeremy beginning to walk on his own and approached him, his infamous arrogance and confidence dissapating.

 

“Jeremy!” Kol called.

 

Jeremy’s head was bowed, his earphones plugged in, My Chemical Romance’s Helena blasting in his ears.  Kol grumbled, then pulled out an earphone, shocking Jeremy to the point he stepped onto the road, a school bus fast approaching.  Kol saw it and immediately blurred Jeremy out of the road, not caring who saw, the two landing in a garden, lips inches from each other.  Kol’s eyes wandered down to Jeremy’s lips, and every impulse told him to kiss him, but he refused to wreck their friendship like that.

 

The vampire clambered to his feet and outstretched his hand, helping Jeremy up, seeing the human shiver in anticipation.  Then he realised -- Jeremy was still wearing his hoodie.  He couldn’t help smiling at that -- humans were so sentimental.

 

“You saved me.” Jeremy breathed.

 

Kol nodded, “Twice now.”

 

“Are you okay?” Jeremy asked, “Earlier… Stefan said you had been bitten.”

 

Kol stepped out of the garden and helped Jeremy out, “I’m fine.  Healed up anyway.”

 

“Good.” Jeremy huffed, “Did your siblings tell you…”

 

Kol interjected, “That I bit you?  Yeah.  Sorry.”

 

“S’okay.” Jeremy slung his bag up his shoulder, “You seem a tad nervous.”

 

Kol shrugged, “Finn has been punishing me all day.”  
  


“He’s an asshole.” Jeremy stated, “You should move out.”  
  


Kol sighed, “Easier said than done, mate, Nik’d never let me leave.”

 

“Why not?” Jeremy asked.

 

Kol replied, “Because he and Elijah think our family can still be saved.”

 

“And you don’t?”

 

Kol sighed again, “I think that my family, and our bond, was lost a long time ago.”

 

“Oh, I totally forgot, I’m wearing your hoodie.” Jeremy moved to take it off, but was stopped by Kol’s hand on his shoulder.

 

Kol shrugged, “Keep it.  Looks better on you anyway.”

 

“Awwh, are you two lovebirds gonna make out now?” Monique’s voice teased from across the road.

 

Kol glared, “Are you really taking the mick out of a Mikaelson?”

 

“Are you really testing a witch?” she raised her hand and muttered something under her breath, dark eyes rolling back in her head.

 

Almost instantly, a horrific agony rang between Kol’s temples, and almost instantly, he knew what was happening -- through the means of her powers, Monique was giving the Original Vampire an aneurism, but due to his supernatural healing, she was able to give him one over and over again and again.  Kol cried out, falling to his knees, hands rushing to his forehead, palms rubbing into it, trying to cease the pain.

  
“Kol…” Jeremy gasped, kneeling beside him, touching his shoulder and neck, “Oh, my God.” he whispered when he saw a dot of red trickle from Kol’s nose, knowing that the spell was getting too much, especially when he started to cough up blood.

 

Monique looked at the vampire writhing in pain, and his friend next to him who was so desperate to try and take care of him and finally let up, releasing Kol from her thrall.

 

Angered, bloodlust filled eyes looked up her way, and she saw Kol’s tongue slip past his lips to wipe away the blood he had coughed up, then disappear.  He wiped his face on his jacket sleeve, staring her down like a predator would it’s prey, clambering to his feet.  His lip peeled back in a snarl, revealing the two pointed teeth that lightly indented his bottom lip, the veins under his eyes pulsating as the scelera turned a fearsome red.

 

And for the first time since meeting the infamous Kol Mikaelson, Monique Deveraux felt terrified, her heart thumping hard in her chest as he looked at her, a growl escaping him, the noise louder than a purr of a lion.  He prepared his attack, and was about to move when a hand desperately gripped his arm.

 

Kol’s head snapped back to see who dared to hold him back from destroying this witch bitch, from ripping her throat out and letting her cold body -- whomever it was would go down with her.  He gasped slightly when he saw Jeremy staring up at him in shock, eyes wide in fear.  Great -- he had scared him.

 

“Don’t kill h-her, Kol.” Jeremy pleaded, “If you do that, how does that make you any better than her?”

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Kol saw Monique run down the street, and he attempted to pull away, but Jeremy tightened his grip.  The only way Kol would be able pull away now would be to break Jeremy’s arm or wrist.  And that was Kol’s issue -- the only person he didn’t want to ever hurt again was Jeremy.  He had no idea why.

 

“Please.” Jeremy’s eyes were like giant disks, and Kol couldn’t refuse them.

 

Kol sighed, “Fine.” he realised then that his face was still horrible and vampiric, “Shit…” he mumbled, “I’m sorry, you shouldn’t look at my face like this.”  
  


“It’s okay.” Jeremy was once again helped to his feet by Kol, and with one hand, he touched the veins, amazed by Kol’s appearance, “I don’t mine.”

  
Once again, Kol’s eyes flickered to the boy’s lips, but yet again, the thought of his brothers’ would be reaction to this frightened him to his core -- whilst he knew his sister wouldn’t mind due to the hazy memory of walking in on her indescretions with Katerina earlier that day, he also knew Finn was from a different time, where a man who was in a relationship with another man was a sin.  Rebekah was the only one who had known about Kol’s bisexuality -- not even Elijah, whom Kol knew he was closest with, was in the dark about it.

 

Kol swallowed, coming out of his thoughts and turning away, missing Jeremy’s tiny huff of disappointment.

  
“I-Is your cellphone alright?” asked Kol, trying to think about anything else but kissing the teen beside him, starting a slow walk.

 

Jeremy looked slightly confused, “Huh?  Oh, ‘cause of the fall?  Yeah, it’s fine.” he gave a faint smile, “Anyway, I’m headed to the library for study, at least that’s what I told Elena.”

 

“I’m technically grounded, but Elijah upset me, so I am not staying in a house with him.” Kol saw Jeremy’s look of intruigity, “He let Finn grab me by the throat… he just stood there!”

 

Jeremy sighed, “I’m sure he didn’t mean to just stand there, Kol.”

 

“Yeah, right!” Kol scoffed, “C-Can we talk about anything else?  Where do you wanna go?”

 

Jeremy shrugged, “Maybe the CD shop again?  Or the bookstore?”

  
“Or the arcade again, then the pub, I can compel drinks for us,” Kol suggested.

 

Jeremy grinned at that, “You know me, dude.”

 

\--

 

“Where is he?” Elijah muttered to himself, pacing around the living room.

 

Finn grumbled, “He will get such a beating when he--”  
  


“Don’t you dare!” Elijah interjected, seeing Finn’s look of shock, “He’s had enough today.”

 

The elder crossed his arms, “I don’t think so, he still left without permission.”

 

“Because he was upset.” Elijah huffed, “Niklaus is out looking for him… Hopefully he’ll find him.”

 

\--

 

“And-- And th’n, I told Gerard th’t I loved him!” Kol hiccuped, the lager and whiskey clouding his mind.

 

Jeremy slurred, “You liar, you did n’t meet Gerard W-Way…”

 

“He wouldn’t ‘member it, c’mpelled him of course.” Kol giggled drunkenly, “He is a really very britty man.”

 

Jeremy snickered, “You said ‘britty’.”

 

“Oh, my God.” Elena’s voice entered the room, “Jeremy?  Oh, God, have they been serving you?” she rushed over.

 

Kol looked up to see Klaus approaching him and laughed, “Oh no, it’s the bloody party police.” he got up and immediately stumbled, “Oops!  I-I’m ever so clumsy!” he fell forward onto Niklaus, wrapping his arms around him, “‘eyyyy Nik!”

 

“Have you been compelling people to serve you and Jeremy?” Klaus asked, angered.

 

Kol replied, his voice in a sing-song tone, “May-beee!”

 

“How many have you drank?” Elena interrogated Jeremy.

 

Jeremy began to drunkenly count on his fingers, then snort-laughed, “I dunno!”

 

“I’m ‘firsty Nik.” Kol pushed away from his brother and stumbled to a barmaid, locking eyes with her, “Alright, luv, ‘ow about you lend us a vein to drink from?”

 

The woman outstretched her arm, but before Kol could bite, Klaus grabbed her and compelled her, “Forget everything this man has told you tonight.  You need to always see ID, and you shan’t serve these two teenagers until I see fit.”  
  


“Awh…” Kol pouted, “You’re mean!”

 

Klaus growled, “Just wait until you see Finn.” he turned to the girl beside him, “Elena, my darling, I’m terribly sorry about this.  I’ll drive you home if you wish?”

 

“Thank you, Klaus.” she nodded, “And it’s okay.  Jeremy’s a teenager, of course he’ll rebel, and Kol was turned at age…”

 

Klaus finished the sentence, “Eighteen.  Not quite matured.” he lifted Kol’s arm over his head, “Come on, brother.”  
  


“I suddenly feel ugh..” Kol groaned, “Too much alkiehol.” he laughed at his own words, “Heh, alkiehol.”

 

When the two teenagers were safely in the car, Kol in the front with his brother and Jeremy in the back with Elena, Klaus began to drive, knowing how much of a beating Finn would give Kol.  When they dropped the Gilbert siblings off, Klaus began to speak to his brother, who was already showing signs of having a hangover, rubbing his eyes and complaining, yet still giggling and not making sense.

 

“You do know Finn’ll give you a right bollocking, Kol?” Klaus huffed as he drove.

 

Kol replied, “‘e can go a’ead, won’t fix the b’stard’s st’pid hair!”

 

“That was hardly one of your best retorts, brother.” Klaus couldn’t help the smile on his face.

 

Kol sniggered, “Jeremy is a britty man.  Can-- Can I marry ‘im, N’k?”

 

“No, you cannot.” Klaus’ voice grew stern.

 

\--

 

“Kol?” Elijah gasped when Klaus brought his stumbling brother in, “A-Are you drunk?”

 

Kol laughed, “As your spunk!  Wait, that’s not it… I forget!”

 

“It is 12:30PM, Niklaus.” Finn didn’t even look at Kol, “Why did it take you about eight and a half hours to find our brother and the Gilbert boy?”

 

Klaus replied, “He wasn’t in any of the usual places.  Was barely even in Illinois, I had to search nearly every bar until I found him.  Luckily, I’m a rather good tracker.”  
  


“Dagger him.” Finn commanded.

 

Kol drunkenly giggled, “You’ve really got a stick up yer arse, Finn.” he stumbled over, almost falling before Elijah caught him.

 

“What’s up with him?” Rebekah asked from the top of the stairs.

 

Kol laughed, “Siiiister!” he blurred up the stairs, leaning against the banister, “‘ow are you?”

 

“Kol Mikaelson, come down this instant.” Finn snarled, “I will give you one hell of a beating if you do not!”

 

Kol turned around and slurred, “Even if you beat me, doesn’t change t’e fact you’re dating a doggy!  Saaaaage!” he called, “Here, Sagey, Sage, Sage!”  
  


All of a sudden, Finn was in front of him and grabbed him by the collar, smacking his face against the banister, “Just because you are intoxicated brother, doesn’t mean I shall be lenient.”

 

“Be careful.” Elijah mumbled, knowing Finn wasn’t even listening, “You’ll, erm, you’ll badly hurt him.”  
  


Rebekah rolled her eyes, “Leave him, Finn.  You could give him brain damage.  I mean, yeah, he’ll heal, and yeah, he probably already has brain damage, but that doesn’t matter.”

 

“Go to your room,” Finn growled at Kol, “Rebekah, assist him.”

 

Rebekah grumbled to herself, then grabbed Kol’s arms before blurring him to his bedroom, “Well done, you imbecile.”  
  


“Well, Bexie Bex, t’ank you!” Kol smirked, “And unless you want Nik to find out whom you are harbouring in your bedroom, behave yerself.”

 

Rebekah narrowed her eyes, “You’re drunk.”

 

“I may be drunk but at least ‘m still britty!” Kol took off his jacket, “Get out unless you wanna be scarred fer life.”  
  


Rebekah retorted, “As if I can trust you to dress on your own right now.  It’s nothing I haven’t seen before, so you don’t have to be ashamed about your little tic tac.”  
  


When Kol was into a different set of clothes, Rebekah helped him into his bed, despite his protests.

 

“Nooooo!” he complained, “Not tired!”

 

She sighed, “Yes you are.” she turned to go, “‘Night.”

 

“Wait!” Kol cried, then when she looked back towards him, his voice lowered to a barely audible murmur, “Please, don’t leave me alone.” his eyes filled with tears, “N-Not with Finn downstairs.”  
  


She tilted her head, “You really are scared of him.” he nodded, and she exhaled, “Fine.  I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep, Kol.” she brushed her mane of blonde back into a ponytail and clambered into the bed, huggling into her elder brother, knowing that he struggled with living here, “Kol?”

 

“Mmm?”

 

Rebekah rested her head against his chest, “I’m sorry for the way I act, and for telling on you yesterday.”

 

“You just don’t want me to tell Nik about you and…” his voice became silent and he mouthed, “Katerina’s little trysts.”

 

She shook her head, “I don’t like the way he and Niklaus treat you with such disregard.  You make mistakes.”

 

“I killed Matt.” he saw her flinch, “You still hate me for it, Bex…”

 

She shook her head, “I never hated you, brother.”

 

“Mmm…” he mumbled drowsily, “That’s nice.

 

Sleep tugged at his eyelids, the alcohol adding to his sleepiness, his head resting gently to the side.  Rebekah managed a small smile, brushing a small bit of hair behind his ear before kissing him on the forehead.

 

She got up and turned off the light, looking back to see any chances of him stirring, but seeing none, the smile gracing her lips growing as she made her way back to her room, opening the door to see Katherine lying on her bed, reading a magazine.

 

“Well--”

 

Rebekah cut her off with a small ‘shh’, and tapped her ear before pointing downward, indicating that they might have eager ears listening in on their conversation.  Rebekah turned on her CD player, Taylor Swift’s Blank Space playing from her device, drowning out their voices slightly.

 

“Are we good?” Katherine asked, putting the magazine down before rolling over, revealing she was nude under Rebekah’s bathrobe, her slender form perfectly pressed into the silk.

 

Rebekah nodded, clambering onto the bed and pressing kisses up the younger girl’s stomach, making her tilt back her head until the Original pulled away and said, “We’re good.”

 

“I heard you talking with Kol.” Katherine smiled, “You’re a good sister.”

 

Rebekah sighed, “Try telling them that one.  Those pigs I call my brothers simply use me for sport.  It is disgusting.”

 

“I think you’re pretty amazing.” Katherine brought Rebekah up into a kiss by her chin, smirking, “I think you have an amazing sharp tongue too.  How about you put it to work?”

 

Rebekah grinned and began kissing back down Katherine’s body, seeing the other girl tilt back her head.

 

\--

 

“Sage!” Finn smiled as he greeted her with a small kiss, “How has your day been, my love?”

 

Sage grinned, “Productive.” she elaborated, seeing Finn’s confused look, “It seems that Team Damon are worried about what Stefan may get you guys to do.  Awh.”

 

“How adorable.” Klaus smirked, then saw Tyler walk in, “Tyler, my lad.  You are late.”

 

The hybrid bowed his head, “I’m sorry, sir.  Forgive me, sir.  I am an asshole, sir.”  
  


“You are forgiven.” Klaus crossed his arms, “Did you give the servants those things earlier?”  
  


Tyler nodded, “I did.”  
  


“And then?” Klaus asked, “What then?”  
  


Tyler replied, “Then I went and I had sex with my girl-- friend with benefits Caroline.”

 

“Interesting.” Klaus tilted his head slightly, “Where is Nadia?  I also need a release.”

 

Finn groaned, “Really, Niklaus?  You make me feel so old, my little brother having a girlfriend.  Next Kol will have one.  Elijah has that Hayley girl… Rebekah had Matt.”

 

“‘Had’ being the correct word.” Klaus added, “Where is Elijah?”

 

Tyler replied, “He’s retired to bed, thought he’d told you.”  
  


“He’s with Hayley, isn’t he?” Finn sighed, “Oh, I remember the days when I would have to sneak out to meet my darling red haired princess, Sage.”  
  


Klaus rolled his eyes and called, “Nadia!”

 

“Yes, Master Klaus?” she replied when she came over, clad only in a bikini top and a skirt.

 

Klaus eyed her, “There you are, my girl.  Do you wish to retire to my bed with me?”

 

“Yes, master.” she whispered breathily, trying to sound as seductive as possible.

 

Tyler rolled his eyes, “Really, ‘master’?  Sounds so Fifty Shades Of Gray.”

 

“And ‘sir’ doesn’t?” Nadia sassed.

 

Klaus took Nadia’s hand and they disappeared up the stairs in a flash.  Sage and Finn exchanged a look before casting their gaze towards Tyler.

 

“I have an idea how you can break the sire bond, Tyler.” Sage murmured quietly, and Finn turned on the television to muffle their conversation.

 

Tyler looked confused, “There’s no way to break it…”

 

“That’s what Klausy there wants you to think.” the redhead said, “What you must do is you must turn, you know, into a wolf enough times until it doesn’t hurt anymore.  You’ll have to leave town though, because if Klaus knew what you were up to… oh, he’d kill you himself.”

 

Tyler looked down, “What if I don’t wanna break it?”

 

“Then you can’t be with Vampire Barbie.” Sage told him, “What if Klaus says bite her?  Then what do you do?”

 

Tyler swallowed, “I d-d-don’t know… I’ll do it.”

 

“Good dog.” Sage looked towards Finn, who turned off the television, “Here’s to you, now get your mongrel ass outta here, pup.  See you at Damon’s whenever.”

 

Tyler shrugged, “I don’t know if I wanna side with him anymore.”  
  


“Because of what he said or because of Caroline?” asked Sage, “I already know the answer, Ty.”

 

Tyler huffed, “Because of Care.  I don’t know what is but she’s like electric… we’re like two magnets… we just… fit.”  
  


“You care about her.” Finn stated, “You are falling for her.”  
  


Tyler smiled, “Okay, Psychic Sally.”

 

“Who…?” Finn’s expression became blank with confusion.

 

Tyler sighed, “Never mind.  Goodnight, you guys.”

 

“See ya!” Sage waved him off as he left, and then turned to Finn, “You okay, my love?  You seem tense.”  
  


Finn shrugged, “Kol was a little bastard today.  As usual, he tested my patience to the max, and claimed that I do not love him.  Why does he think I hit him?  Because I love him, and he is a danger to everyone around him.” he sighed softly, brushing her hair back, “Elijah forgives Kol blindly for everything.”

 

“He’s a fool.” Sage said.

 

Finn stroked her cheek, “This beauty is eternal.  It shan’t ever rot nor die.  This is the only thing I am proud of with my vampirism, preserving such loveliness instead of allowing it to perish alongside everything else.”

 

“Oh, Finn.” Sage kissed him softly, “I love you so much.”

 

Finn smiled, “I love you too, my darling Sage.” he groaned at Rebekah’s pulsing music in the background, “Rebekah Mikaelson, turn that down!” he shouted at the top of his voice, hearing Kol softly moan in his slumber from the bottom of the stairs, and Rebekah grumbling cursewords under her breath, “Mind your language, girl!”

 

The music was turned down, and there was a roar of wind when Rebekah opened her window (for Katherine to sneak out, not that they knew that though).  Finn sighed, and took Sage’s hand.

 

“I am sleepy, my love.” Finn kissed her forehead.

 

Sage remarked, “Says the guy who spent 900 years in a box.”

 

“That is strange,” Finn laughed.

 

\--

 

“Enzo?” Damon yawned, coming downstairs, “What’re you doing still up?”

 

Enzo looked up, rubbing his eyes, “I could ask you the same, Damon.”

 

“I was going to get a glass of blood,” Damon came over and sat beside Enzo, “What’s up with you?  You haven’t slept properly in days, you’re like a zombie.”

 

Enzo shrugged, “I guess I’m still a bit jumpy after being attacked by your brother…”

 

“Baby…” Damon hugged him, “Stefan will pay, I swear.”

 

Enzo nodded, “I know.  I believe you.  I trust you… I love you.”  
  


“I love you.” Damon smiled.

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Monique sat in the magic shop, watching a very happy looking Kai and Bonnie perform spells and laugh with each other.  But to her, they were laughing at her.  The whole world was laughing at her.

 

She ran her hand over the boxes full of ‘voodoo crap’ and ‘other occult stuff’, as Kai liked to call them, and smirked as she found a creepy looking voodoo doll.  Under her breath, she mumbled an enchantment and wired something around it -- a strand of Kol’s hair that she had picked off him telekinetically.  She wasn’t able to kill him quite, but with this doll, she could hurt him and other people -- specifically Jeremy Gilbert.

 

“With a parasite’s soul and the bridge of life, I give my blood upon this knife,” she mumbled, then took out a knife, stabbing her own hand with it, ‘Bloodlust commands to do thy will, but the lust, I know kill.  Vampire’s heart and vampire’s mind, vampire’s body is all mine.” she smiled when she saw the doll light on fire for a few seconds, now knowing that it was working.

 

Kai walked through, “You said something, baby Deveraux?”

  
“Nothing.” she quickly hid her hand and the doll.

 

 


	6. Chapter Five Everybody Wants To Rule The World

“Kol, get up!” a voice called from the lower levels of the Mikaelson house, rousing Kol slightly from his sleep.

  
After being daggered for collectively over two hundred years, Kol had developed into a very light sleeper.  He sat up, yawning slightly, his vampirism preventing the hangover that a human would normally have.  The previous night was pretty much a blur, but he could remember actually being almost happy for a few hours.  His eyes cracked open, blinking a few times as rays of sunshine hit him instantly.

 

Groggily, he clambered out of his bed, looking at his alarm clock to see the time -- it was 8:30 in the morning.  He groaned, brushing some hair out of his eyes before quickly getting changed, not wanting to upset his brothers any more than he already had in the previous days.

 

When he drowsily descended the stairs, he saw Elijah and Finn standing, waiting, looks of disappointment engraved into their expressions.

 

Kol sighed, “Whatever I did, I’m sorry.”

 

“Stefan’s friend Alexia was found dead this morning.” Finn stated, “Do you have something to confess, little brother?”  
  


Kol crossed his arms, “You have a knack for blaming me for everything, don’t you, brother?  But I can hardly see how I killed someone when I was fast asleep.”

 

“Mm.” Finn paced in front of him, pressing his lips into a thin line, “Then if you didn’t do it, then why is there a stake missing from our cupboard?”

 

Klaus descended the steps, adding, “His shirt is covered in blood and his windows and curtains were open.  Hardly discreet.”

 

“What?  My clothes had blood on them?” Kol looked confused, “I was sleeping.”  
  


Elijah blinked a few times, “A-Are you sure, Kol?  I mean, the evidence is rather conclusive.”

 

“Why would I kill Lexi?” asked Kol, “I actually didn’t hate her, like I do most of civilisation.”

 

Finn retorted, “I don’t even know why you would.  I don’t even try to understand you anymore, Kol.”

 

“Ouch.” Kol’s tone feigned hurt, but deep inside, that comment really did sting.

 

Klaus sighed, “We’ll sort it later, okay?  Let the boy just go to school.  Bekah!”

 

“Yes?” grumbled Rebekah from the living room.

 

Klaus commanded, “Your taxi services are needed.”

 

“Great.” she sighed.

  
  


\--

 

“Is Stefan okay?” asked Caroline when she came to sit beside Jeremy at school, “He lost Lex today.”  
  


Jeremy shrugged, “He’s hurting, I guess.”

 

“Yeah…” Anna huffed, joining them, “Where’s your boyfriend, you know, Kol?”

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “We’re not dating.”

  
“Yet.” muttered Caroline.

 

The human grumbled, “Fuck off.”  
  


“Language, Jeremy.” Kol’s voice chastised as he walked into the dinner hall, “God, it’s pouring down outside.” he slid into the chair opposite Jeremy, “You look awful.”

 

Jeremy groaned, “Considering I can barely remember last night and I’ve got a hangover the size of Russia, I’m allowed to look crappy.”  
  


“Ooh, sorry.” Kol sighed, “Being a vamp, I don’t really get hangovers.”

 

Jeremy grumbled, “Lucky you.”

  
“Aww, love…” Kol grinned, for a second, then saw Jeremy arch an eyebrow, “Forgive me for my both maudlin and sadistic attitude, it’s just after a thousand years, I find the little things like hangovers hilarious.”

 

Caroline gave a snort of a laugh, “Not the best chat up line, Original boy.”

 

“Whatever.  Why do you smell like one of my brother’s hybrids?” Kol narrowed his honey eyes, “Like wet dog.  Come to think of it, Nik stinks of that too.”

 

Rebekah turned around from the chair behind Kol, tapping his shoulder, “I’m telling him that.”

 

“Ooh.” Kol scoffed, “I’m shaking in my $100 sneakers.” he saw Jeremy’s eyebrows arch even more, “What?  I’m fucking loaded!”

 

Josh and Davina walked over, Josh looking rather upset about something, his face filled with concern, a hand rubbing his arm anxiously.  Kol could tell by angry red lines down his cheeks that he had been crying.  He knew that he’d have to be sensitive, and say something comforting.

 

“What the bloody hell’s up with him?” was all he could muster up, “Looks like he’s just watched Mufasa’s death on repeat!”

 

Josh’s voice trembled as he spoke, “Aiden and I split up.”

 

“But literally two nights ago, I saw you two downtown, acting like you had bloody rainbows and sunshines shoved up your arse!” Kol said, confusion contorting his features.

 

Josh stumbled, a wave of sobs about to overtake him, when Davina suddenly took his hand, “It’s okay.” she sighed, “I’ll explain.” she cast her gaze to her brother, “Did you know that your half-brother is against vampire/werewolf couples now?  And he just so happened to begin to take interest in Aiden’s pack.”

 

“Shit.” Kol breathed, resting his face in his hands, “But Elijah is dating a werewolf from that pack.”

 

Rebekah exchanged a quick glance with her brother, “And if Elijah pisses off Nik, he’s back in box city.”  
  


“You need to speak to your brother.” Josh pleaded, “I’m begging you, man.”  
  


Kol rolled his eyes, “Are you bloody kidding me?  Nik’d dagger me!”  
  


“And for once in your life, Kol Mikaelson, you should care about someone other than yourself!” Davina’s voice rose shrilly, and Rebekah’s phone that was in her hands flew across the table, landing on the empty seat opposite.

 

A sob escaped Josh, and he sat down in an empty seat, handing Rebekah her phone shakily before burying his face in his arm, “I feel like I’m going to lose him.” he whimpered, “Like he’s going to die.” Kol could hear the heartbreak in his words.

 

“I’ll speak to him.” Kol said, “I’m not promis-- ah!” he broke off with a cry of pain, feeling a raging agony suddenly stab through his gut, falling to his knees.

  
The chair clattered away from him, and instantly, Jeremy rushed as fast as humanly possible to him, his hand cupping his cheek, “What’s wrong?” he asked.

 

“Oh, my God!” Kol cried in pain, and blood began to soak through his shirt, Rebekah coming behind him to attempt to steady him.

 

The others in the group stared in utter confusion, not knowing why Kol was wriggling like a worm, cries of agony being drawn from him each time he moved.

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, at the magic store, Monique sat in the stockroom with the voodoo doll, smirking sadistically at the pin that was stuck deep within it’s stomach.  This pain wasn’t enough for the bastard that was Kol Mikaelson. She would possess him, have him as her own personal slave, her personal murderer.  She brought the doll up so it was level with her dark eyes, then began to mutter a spell, the grin never leaving her lips.  This was bound to hurt.

 

\--

  
Kol’s screams of agony broke off sharply, and Jeremy released him, seeing his head droop against his chest.  He wondered if the vampire was even alive, or just unconscious, or if he was faking.

 

A strand of brown laid across Kol’s forehead, and just as Jeremy was about to sweep it away, the vampire’s eyes flew open, red filling the sclera, veins popping under the eyes.  Startled, Jeremy tore his hand away, seeing Kol’s head lift, a smile stretching his features as Rebekah studied him.

 

A sudden burst of speed that confused all eyes resulted in Rebekah having her neck snapped, the loud cracking sound horrid.  The spell that held the humans unaware almost broke, one’s eyes flickering over Rebekah’s ‘dead’ body before choking on a scream, then instantly forgetting when she turned away.

 

“Kol…” Jeremy got to his feet, his dark eyes roaming over Kol’s form, frozen to the spot, “What’s wrong with you?”

 

Kol laughed humorlessly, “You are what’s wrong with me, my dear Jeremy.  You’re my disease.” suddenly, he grabbed the human, rearing back his head before striking like a cobra, fangs digging into Jeremy’s neck.

  
Jeremy cried out in pain, but found it to be stopped suddenly, as Davina pushed Kol away telekinetically, a scream escaping her as she pushed him into a ray of sunlight, a simple enchantment making his daylight ring temporarily useless.  Kol shrieked as the sunlight began to scorch him, his skin sizzling and reddening.

 

Caroline handsprung over the table, thanking whomever made her for her cheerleader reflexes, landing perfectly on her feet before blurring to Kol and snapping his neck, the Original’s unconscious body sinking to the ground.

 

“Twice in one week.” Anna stated, “Man, he must love your taste, Gilbert.”

 

\--

 

Monique laughed, tucking the doll into her pocket before getting up, and wrapping her hand around the door handle.  As soon as she opened the door, she found herself in an awkward situation when she walked out of the stockroom and saw Kai and Bonnie making out against the wall, his lips seeking her pulse point, their clothed groins grinding together, drawing out moans from them both.  Kai’s eyes stopped dead when he saw Monique, and he pulled away from Bonnie, who gave a quick look of disappointment, then embarrassment when she saw the teenager, immediately sorting her dress’ strap.

 

On the radio blared Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’, and a flustered Kai moved to turn it down, seeing Monique’s blush rise to her face.

 

“I’m so sorry that you had to see that, Baby Deveraux.” Kai gave an awkward laugh, “It’s just…”

 

Monique grinned, “You two fucked at last?”  
  


“Language.” Bonnie chastised, “And that is not your business.”

 

Monique chewed her lower lip, hopping up on the counter, “You two are so cute.  Can’t wait to tell Sophie and mom!” she chirped.

 

“Um.” Bonnie crossed her arms, “Could you actually keep it a secret?  We don’t want anybody to know, you see.”

 

Monique nodded, “Sure.  Don’t tell my mom I’m not at school then.”

 

“We won’t.” Kai smiled.

 

Monique left swiftly, the bell ringing as the door opened and closed.  Kai laughed, taking Bonnie’s hand.

 

“Well, that was awkward,” he turned her under his arm, then pulled her into the stockroom, backing her against the wall, “Now, where were we?”

 

Bonnie bit her lip seductively, green eyes staring at Kai’s gorgeous lips, “We’ve got to open the shop, you know.”

 

“It can wait.” Kai rested his forehead against hers, “I want to kiss you.”

 

Bonnie grinned, turning the small light on in the room and closing the door before kissing Kai hard, her arms linking behind his throat, tongues battling.  Kai felt her hands move to unbuckle his belt, and chuckled -- God, she moved quick.  His own hand touched one of her clothed breasts, making her inhale sharply and the other hand went under her skirt, pulling at her underwear and dipping in her heat briefly.

 

When they were both completely undressed, a pile of discarded clothes lying in a lonely pile next to them, Bonnie pushed Kai onto the ground before straddling him, feeling his hardness sink into her, drawing a moan of absolute heavenly pleasure from both of them.  Kai groaned into her shoulder as she began to move her hips, riding him hard and fast.  She pushed him so he was lying down, hands scraping down his chest -- she was aware that a small sting of pain was a turn on of his, and wouldn’t want him to not be turned on.

 

“Bonnie…” he sighed her name, hands trailing up her legs and gripping her hips as she drove him closer to the edge.

 

His hands glowed against her skin, not quite taking magic but allowing his own to tingle, the energy intertwining with her own as she finally allowed him to sit back up, her dark skin flush with his own.  He moaned against her lips as they kissed, a soft moan escaping her, the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

 

“Oh…” he said as he felt the tightening in his stomach, the barely familiar feeling, “I’m g-gonna come, Bonnie.”

 

She gasped, “I’m close too.” and continued to bounce in his lap, her lips continually meshing with his.

 

All of a sudden, he tore away from her lips, head arching back as a cry escaped him, his climax crashing over him, sweat beading on his forehead.  Bonnie came seconds later with a breathy moan, and as they collapsed back onto the floor, heavy breaths escaped them.

 

“Oh, my God…” she panted, “You’re amazing.” she pressed a kiss to his neck.

 

He gave a smile, “You’re the one who just made me--”

 

“Shh.” she cut him off, then looked at his hands, “You’re glowing… Your hands…”

 

He looked down, then around his surroundings, “Monique must’ve performed a spell here.”

 

“What kind of spell?” Bonnie asked, then saw Kai’s look of slight frustration, “Sorry.  Right.  We need to enjoy this, don’t we?  Being together.”

 

Kai exhaled, “No, you’re right… she’s a junior witch and--”  
  


“No.” Bonnie interjected, “Lets just enjoy it.”

 

\--

 

“Enzo, you suck!” Damon chastised his boyfriend as he thrashed him at a game of pool, “That’s 12-1 to me, the world champion!”

 

Enzo rolled his eyes, putting his cue down, “You’re so cocky.” he stated, walking around the table, his arms folding over his chest, “It’s hardly an attractive attribute.”  
  


“And yet, you are still here.” Damon put down his cue then cupped Enzo’s cheek, pressing his lips to the shorter’s in a loving, yet painfully short kiss.

 

Alaric interrupted as he walked in, “You lovebirds have got a visitor.”

 

“Do you mind, mister teacher bloke?  Tell them we’re…” Enzo grinned, “Indisposed.”

 

Alaric rolled his eyes, “One, don’t call me that, I do own several stakes, and two, it’s Mr. Hotshot over there’s lovely baby brother.”  
  


“Stefan.” Damon huffed, “Baby bro here to kill our buzz then?”

 

Stefan’s voice spoke, and when they looked, he was leaning against the frame of the entry of the living room, “Actually, I’m just here to tell you that going after Lexi was a bad move, brother.  And now that Ric’s invited me in…” he blurred to Damon, grabbing his throat and pinning him against the wall.

 

“Damon!” Enzo cried.

 

Damon choked, confused, “What the hell are you talking about?”  
  


“This morning, 5 AM, Lexi was found staked in the centre of town, like they weren’t even trying to be discreet.” Stefan’s voice wavered, thick with tears and anger, “How could you?  Lexi may have hurt Enzo, but she didn’t deserve to die!  And now, I get to kill you, which will give me the greatest joy I have ever felt in my 150 years of misery!”

 

Damon tried to speak, “I didn’t kill her.  I was here at five.  Ask… Ask Enzo!”

  
“Ask him?” Stefan gave a hysterical, humorous laugh, “He doesn’t even know what you were up to when you two split up last year!”

 

Enzo arched an eyebrow, “What?  What is he on about, Damon?” he blurred forward, pulling Stefan away, “That’s enough strangling my boyfriend.”

 

“It’ll be ex when you find out what he did to poor Caroline Forbes!” Stefan exhaled, “And Lexi didn’t deserve to die, brother.  I will avenge her!”

 

Damon coughed, and Enzo dropped beside him, pulling his head into his lap as Stefan stormed past Alaric, shutting the door with a slam.

 

“What did he mean, Caroline Forbes?” Alaric asked, “I’m teaching her tomorrow.”

  
Damon’s eyes filled with regret.

 

\--

 

Kol’s head lifted, and he attempted to gather his bearings.  He recognised from the amount of posters that he was in his own bedroom, only, he found himself unable to properly get up off the bed without his body seizing up and falling back down again.  His eyes hurt, but when he rubbed him a little bit, he could figure out who the shadows gathered before his window were. Elijah, Jeremy, Joshua and Davina.

 

“What the bloody hell’s going on?” Kol struggled against his invisible binds -- God, he was hungry.

 

Elijah exhaled, disappointment written upon his face, “You once again attacked Jeremy Gilbert.”

 

“I’m right here, man.” Jeremy rolled his eyes, then knelt before Kol, “What’s wrong with you, Kol?  Did that dick Klaus bite you again?”

 

Kol suddenly couldn’t control what he was saying, “You think you can control me, cage my beast?  Well, Jeremy, to me you are nothing but a pathetic blood bag.  I need to kill you to do the world a favour and cease that prattling voice of yours, to end every worthless breath.”

 

“K-Kol…” Jeremy was obviously very hurt by that, reeling away from the Original.

 

Kol blinked a few times, “If I am not to be released, then I have other orders.” he lifted his arm and proceeded to bite it, and when it healed, bite it again, “I’ve got to find a way to cause myself pain, and to die.”

 

“NO!” Elijah yelled, pulling Kol’s arms away whilst he struggled, his eyes furiously red.

 

Kol’s voice broke, “I’ve got to hurt!  Let me go!” he let out a sob, “Let me hurt!”  
  


Jeremy cupped his mouth, his eyes filling with tears, “I can’t… I gotta… he couldn’t finish, so ran out of the room, and the house.

 

“Davina…” Josh sighed, “What the hell is going on?”  
  


She stared ahead at the once irascable vampire Kol Mikaelson, now reduced to sobbing and wanting to harm -- or maybe even kill -- himself, “I’m not sure.”  
  


“L-Let me… I have to die, Elijah… I’m bad… I’m-I’m…” Kol swiftly took off his daylight ring, casting it to the other side of the room, where it rolled under the wardrobe, “I need to die!  I-I have to kill him or die!” he attempted to reach the curtain to pull it back but Davina’s bubble kept him away from it.

 

Elijah commanded, “Find his ring, Joshua.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Josh dropped to the floor, arm sliding under the wardrobe until he was able to cup the ring in his palm, instantly handing it to Elijah, who forced it onto Kol’s finger.

 

“N-No!” Kol shouted, biting at Elijah’s shoulder, attempting to get away from him.

 

Elijah simply hugged him closer, rocking him against him, “Shh, brother…” he breathed, “Tell me what’s wrong.”

 

“It’s like he’s compelled.” Josh mumbled.

 

Davina clicked her fingers, then turned to Josh, “Oh, my God, Josh, you are a freaking genius!” she cupped his face between her hands, then kissed his cheek, “He’s compelled!”  
  


“We are Original vampires.” Elijah stated, “We are impervious to compulsion.”  
  


Davina shook her head, “Not vampiric compulsion.  If a witch was able to gain access to a part of his DNA, like a hair, and get a hex doll… With the right spell, she could cause him pain, or control him.”

 

“Wait, so if he doesn’t kill Jeremy--”

 

Elijah finished Josh’s sentence, “He’s got it in his head that he has to hurt himself.  But what else will happen to him?  I fear this is only the beginning.”

 

“What if the next stage is unbearable pain?” Josh asked, “Right… Elijah, you can go to the Magic store, talk to Bonnie and Kai, see if anyone’s bought a hex doll.”

 

Elijah shook his head, “I am not leaving him.  But, Niklaus and Finn have overheard this entire conversation, and are leaving now.  You two, leave us.”

 

“Okay.” Davina nodded.

 

Josh exhaled, “One thing.  Your little hybrid brother is banning a pack of werewolves from courting vampires so that they continue a bloodline.  Bad for me, because said pack includes m-my boyfriend, bad for you because Hayley Marshall is in that pack too.”

 

“That bastard…” Elijah muttered, but was cut off when Kol released a blood-curdling scream of pain, the two leaving the room, “Sage!” he called, “I know you are able to hear me!  Either you or Nadia, fetch him some blood!”

 

\--

 

“Is this the Magical shop?” asked Finn, standing outside the Gemini Occult and Supernatural Warehouse, “It’s rather… big.”  
  


Klaus sighed, rolling his eyes, “How is it that I get stuck with you on this quest to save our brother’s life?”

 

“Please…” Finn muttered, “You do not care for the boy, you simply are paranoid that this witch is undermining your rule over the city!”  
  


Klaus retorted, “And you’d rather have Kol in pain than have him wreaking his usual havoc.” he narrowed his eyes in an almost challenging way, “No wonder you’re his ‘favourite.”

 

“You are aware sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?” Finn quipped, walking into the store.

 

Klaus snarkily replied, “Any form of wit is enough to defeat you, because your wit is dim.”

 

“Shush.” Finn raised his hand, “What’s that sound?”

 

Klaus rolled his eyes, “Your overactive imagination, spawned by years in a box.  Now, come on…”

 

“Hush!” Finn raised his voice a bit more, yet was still fairly quiet, “Someone’s here.” he saw a door and walked towards it, neither brother being smart enough to use their vampiric hearing in a mission to spare some masculinity.

 

When Finn opened the door, it revealed a garmentless Bonnie Bennett and Kai, wrapped up in each other, Kai on top of her, making sweet, gentle love to her and drawing gentle moans from both of them.  He kissed her softly, and neither even noticed the two Mikaelson brothers walking in.  Bonnie released a soft cry as she dwindled on the edge of a rocking orgasm, Kai also very close as her hands scratched up his back.

  
Klaus arched an eyebrow, then cleared his throat, startling Kai so much that he snapped back his hand, wrapping a hand around the hybrid’s ankle, siphoning some of the magic allowing him to exist.  Klaus cried out, falling over as an ominous red glow connected the witch’s hand with his leg.

 

“Kai!” Bonnie reassured him, sitting up so she could shield his privates with her leg, “It’s okay.  It’s just Klaus.”

 

He let go, “Shit, sorry.” he made a grab for his clothes, “Wait for us in the front, we’ll serve you once we get dressed.”

 

“We’re not, um…” Finn helped his brother up, feeling awkward, “We’re not here for some of your produce.  We are here in need of information vital to our younger brother’s survival.”

 

Kai sighed, “Sure, whatever, just… just let us get dressed.”

 

The two brothers nodded, then headed out of the room, leaving a giggling Bonnie and Kai.  Once the laughter subsided, Bonnie noticed Kai was still aroused, his hardness looking painful.  She couldn’t leave him like that.  She pushed him back against the wall, wrapping her hand around it, seductively biting her bottom lip.

 

“Let me deal with this.” she smirked.

 

He stammered, his skin getting hot and flustered, “B-B-But customers…”

 

“You can’t serve the Kings Of Chicago with a hard on.” her hand began to move, stroking it’s way up and down Kai’s length, drawing panting moans from him, her lips wrapping around a nipple, other hand running up his chest.

 

Klaus groaned outside, “Brilliant, they are at it again.”

 

“Just imagine…” Bonnie whispered to him, “I’m sliding up and down you, and each movement is bringing you closer to the edge.  Imagine me sucking you… come on, Kai… imagine.”

 

His head dropped back as his fingers dug into the gaps between bricks in the wall, lights flickering with the intensity of his pleasure.  His moan turned incredibly high pitched when her thumb flicked over his tip, and he felt his stomach tighten, perspiration running down his face.

 

“Oh… Oh, God…” he panted, “I’m so… so close.”

 

Bonnie licked a path over where his heart was, “Come for me.”

 

“Oh my--” he was cut off by a barely-stifled cry coming from his own lips as he came over her hand, “Oh… B-Bon…” he groaned, “Oh, my God.”

 

When the aftershocks washed over him and Bonnie had cleaned him up, she helped him get shakily dressed, pulling on her own clothes whilst constantly smiling over at him.  Before they walked into the front, she pulled him for a brief kiss, then took his hand.

 

“Wow, you two are a very busy couple.” Klaus noted as they walked through, “You haven’t done much serving.  I mean, it says you’re still closed.”

 

Kai facepalmed, “Shit.  What time is it?”

 

“Half one.” stated Finn after giving an absent glance at his wristwatch.

 

Bonnie exhaled, rubbing her temples, “So, what is it you want.  Only Original we get in here normally is Kol, and that’s because he finds us fascinating, like a project.  How is he in trouble?  What’s he done?”  
  


“We believe he may be hexed.” Klaus tried to explain, “Today, we found evidence that he may have possibly murdered one of the residents in town, plus he attacked another.  Now, he is attempting to harm himself, and perhaps even take his own life, and is also suffering from great physical and mental pain.”  
  


Kai ‘hmmed’ at that, leaning against the glass cabinet that held shrunken heads, “Sounds like a hex doll thing.  But all hex dolls are kept in the storage unit, Bonnie and I’s… spot.” he walked over, looking for the box that was labelled ‘Voodoo Crap’ and opened it, looking through the various objects, “That’s strange…”

 

“What is it, Kai?” asked Bonnie.

 

Kai replied, “The Voodoo Doll is gone.  I’m sure we had one.”

 

“Yeah, we did.  We definitely had one yesterday.” Kai tried to think, “Who else could’ve taken it?  Well, there was Monique, but she’s too innoce--”

 

Finn interrupted, “Monique Deveraux?”

 

“Yeah.” Kai answered, “Why?”

 

Finn looked to Niklaus, “Wasn’t Monique Deveraux the witch who Kol was having trouble with, and attempted to kill?”  
  


“Wait… kill?” Bonnie arched an eyebrow, crossing her arms, “Monique is sixteen.  Why would Kol attempt to murder her?”

 

Klaus shrugged, “She pissed him off, I guess.  Do you have her address?”

 

“We’re not supposed to give that ou--”

 

Klaus interrupted Kai, grabbing him by the lapels of his coat, the hybrid’s eyes glowing bright yellow, veins pumping underneath them, “You may be able to drain the magic from me, but I can rip your tiny heart from your chest.  Do you hear me?”

 

“Kai!” Bonnie cried, her arm being held back by Finn -- she knew if she attacked him, she and Kai would both end up executed.

 

Kai choked, “I don’t know where she lives, okay?”

 

“Then perform a damn locator spell!” Klaus dropped him, “That’s what you witches are for, isn’t it?”

 

Kai coughed, rubbing his hand over his sore throat, “I can’t really perform magic well.  I have to drain some magic.”

 

“And you stole some of Niklaus’.  Plus, you’re the Gemini leader.” Finn stated, “Chip chop now, lad.  I don’t want my brother hurt.”  
  


Bonnie remarked, “Strange, since you let this basket case of a hybrid bite him yesterday.”

 

“You are disposable, Bonnie Bennett.” Klaus grabbed her wrist, “There’s no shortage of witches in this city.”

 

Kai suddenly snapped, “Let her go!  You let her go, and I’ll do whatever you want, okay?  Just don’t hurt her!  You hurt her again, and I will drain you of every last drop of magic you have…” he got to his feet, pushing Klaus hard, “Until you are nothing but a dead, withered husk.” he looked towards Finn, “That goes for you both.  You know my reputation, and I am willing to go all psycho once more if you even go near her.”

 

“Now, now.” Klaus grinned, “You don’t want me to kill her, do you?  Who’s faster do you think?  Me or you?”

 

Kai’s strong facade began to break, and a short whimper escaped him, memories of his abusive and neglectful father washing over him, “G-Get away from me.”

 

“Excuse me?” Klaus arched an eyebrow.

 

Kai let out a panicked scream, and all the light bulbs shattered, “GET AWAY!” he screeched, and Klaus felt the skin on his hand tightening around the bones.

 

“Kai!” Bonnie went to him, taking his face between her hands, “Kai, it’s okay.  You and I are going to perform a little spell, okay?  Just let him go.”

 

Kai blinked a few times, and Klaus exhaled when the pressure around his hand was relieved.  Finn helped his younger brother to his feet as the witches prepared their spell.

 

When all the ingredients were put down, Kai put a bracelet upon the table -- presumably Monique’s.  The two magic-users murmured their spell, and the bracelet began to glow as their heads filled with various flashes of images.

 

“Oh, my God.” Bonnie muttered, opening her eyes.

 

Finn was getting impatient, strange for somebody who lived for nine hundred years in a box, “What is it?”

 

“She’s at your house.” Kai replied.

 

\--

 

“Stefan?” Elena’s voice gently spoke as she stood in the frame of the door, “How are you?”

 

Stefan gave a shrug, “I’ve been better.”

 

“I’m so sorry about Lexi.” she breathed, coming to kneel beside him on the sofa, the palm of her hand cupping his cheek, “Who do you think did it?”

 

He sighed, “I was sure it was Damon, but he swore it wasn’t.”

 

“He’s a psychopath, Stefan.” Elena stated.

 

Stefan added, “But he’s not a liar.  If Damon did kill Lex, he wouldn’t hide it, in fact, he’d damn brag about it.  Because he is that crazy.”

 

“Then who else could’ve it been?” Elena’s hand dropped away from his face.

 

All of a sudden, Jeremy stormed in, slamming the door behind himself before dropping himself onto the other couch, his arms wrapped around his thin body.

 

“Good afternoon to you too, Jeremy.” Elena muttered.

 

Jeremy exhaled, “They think Kol, under the influence of a hex doll, murdered Lexi.”

 

“What?” Stefan asked, “Kol Mikaelson?”

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “No, the other Kol.”

 

“Don’t get snappy with me, Jeremy Gilbert!” Stefan’s voice rose as he got to his feet, “My best friend just died and I’m a bit volatile.”

 

Jeremy snorted a laugh, “Dude, that was, like a threat.”

 

“You’re right, it was!” he grabbed Jeremy’s wrist.

 

Jeremy winced, “Hey… let go, dick!”

 

“Stefan…” Elena’s hands rested against Stefan’s shoulders, “Don’t let this turn you into a bad person.  He’s my brother.  Let him go.”

 

Stefan blinked a few times, then released Jeremy, “I’m… I’m sorry..”

 

“Whatever.” Jeremy’s eyes were filled with contempt as he stormed to his room, needing to once more take solace in a sliver of silver.

 

Stefan’s eyes welled with tears, the green orbs reflecting dejection, his shoulders trembling as a wave of grief toppled him.  His best friend, the one who had kept him from killing people and becoming The Ripper again, was gone.

 

Elena exhaled, helping Stefan to sit down on the sofa, then pulling his head against her breast comfortingly, pressing a kiss to his forehead as he wept softly.  She knew what Jeremy was most likely doing, and as much as she hated it, she couldn’t do anything.  She had tried -- he had been to various therapists, psychologists and even to the school nurse, but nothing helped.  He always returned to the blade.

 

So she realised that she couldn’t help him unless he decided to help himself.  Jenna agreed with that, as did Stefan.

 

Jeremy sat on his bed, wrists bleeding profusely, Kol’s earlier words running through his mind.  He knew that he was a waste of air, a waste of life, without Kol having to tell him that.  Despite the rational part of his brain arguing that Kol was under a spell and most likely delirious, the larger part of him was extremely hurt by the vampire’s words.

 

A pathetic bloodbag.

  
That’s what Kol called him.  And that was what he was.  To the 1000 year old, Jeremy was just a walking, talking baby meal.

 

The feel of blood dribbling down his arm was comforting, and he couldn’t help the humorless laugh that escaped him.  He had fallen for a monster, and this was no less than what he deserved.  He deserved the scars that defaced his smooth skin, he deserved the blood loss and the nausea, he deserved the sting of pain.

 

The thought ran through Jeremy’s head: he deserved to die.

 

He knew how easy it would be to jam the blade into his gullet, to drink the bottles of bleach from the bathroom, to hang himself with a tie, to lie in front of a truck, down every pill in the house.  So many methods, so little time.

  
Tears stung in his eyes -- he was pathetic.  He didn’t deserve to live, he didn’t want to.  His family didn’t care, Kol hated him for some reason.

 

He had nothing but feelings for a man who would never feel the same for a pathetic human being.  He sniffled, hating himself for crying.  Crying was for babies and over-emotional women.  He was a man.  He was meant to be strong.

 

A sob broke from him, and he turned onto his side, curling into himself.

 

\--

 

“You really did that?” Enzo sat, staring ahead, guilt twisting in his gut like a knife, “Because you and I split up, y-you raped and abused an innocent girl?”

 

Damon exhaled, “Enz, you’ve gotta understand--”

 

“Understand what?” Enzo snapped, getting to his feet, “That I’m in love with an arrogant psychopath?  That whenever we argue, you could end up murdering someone?  That I’m to blame for what you did to her?”

 

Alaric crossed his arms, “You’re a dick, Damon.  She’s seventeen, and you went and did that to her?”

 

“I think…” Enzo’s voice was thick with threatening tears, “I think we need to take a break.  We don’t work.  I can’t be with someone who makes me feel like this.”

 

Damon tried to touch Enzo’s face, but when the younger flinched, he stated brokenheartedly, “You’re scared of me.”

 

“I am.” Enzo nodded, “Because I don’t know what the hell you’re going to do now.  But let me tell you what I’m going to do.  I’m going to go upstairs and pack a bag, and then I’m going to find somewhere else to live, because I can’t be around you right now.”

 

Damon’s voice rose and he got to his feet, anger in his tone, “Oh, so what?  I do something bad, and you’re allowed to judge me?” he grabbed Enzo’s arm lightly, “You have done bad things too!  Remember those cops?”

 

*

 

Chicago, 1953

 

“What’s your name?” Damon asked, his hands curled around the bars seperating his and Enzo’s cell.

 

The Brit replied, “Lorenzo.  Yourself?”

 

“Damon.  Damon Salvatore.” he looked to the ring upon Enzo’s finger, instantly recognising it as a daylight one, “Nice jewellery.  Protect you from getting a suntan?”

 

The other man grinned, eyes flicking up and down Damon’s body, “I could ask you the same, Mr. Salvatore.”

 

“So, are we actually going to stay here or…” Damon looked at the guard who was snoring outside their cells, “Or are we going to have a little bit of fun?”

 

Enzo smirked, “Define ‘fun’.  Do you mean a bit of blood, or something…” he wiggled his eyebrows, “Better?”

 

“Mmm.” Damon smiled, “We just met.”  
  


Enzo shrugged, “Never stopped me before.”

 

“Oi!” Damon turned to the guard, “Wake up, ass!”

 

The middle aged man grunted as he jumped up, “You young whippersnappers!” he grumbled, coming close, raising his nightstick.

 

“Put that down,” Damon compelled him, “And release us.”

 

The baton slid from his hand with a clattering sound, and the man robotically pulled out his keys, letting the two vampires out of their cage.

 

“Now…” Enzo willed, “You’re going to pick up your nightstick, and you’re going to beat six of the other officers to death, then shoot yourself.” he grinned.

 

Damon smirked, “Ooh, that’s dark.  How attractive.”

 

“I know.” Enzo grinned back when he heard screams of pain coming from the other room, “You wanna… go someplace?”

 

Half an hour later, the two vampires had reached a hotel room, and were instantly tearing off each other’s clothes, kissing hotly.  Enzo groaned as Damon attacked his throat with small bites, wiring his hands into the black hair.

  
“God… Damon…” he moaned, rutting against the older.

 

Mere minutes later, Damon was inside him, possessing him, fucking him hard and fast.  His head was tilted back as the elder thrust into him, his hands scratching frantically down his back.  So many words were going through his mind.

 

He was proud of the way he had killed the officers, and was now even prouder of the man he had aquired whilst doing so.  A groan escaped him as Damon hit the place inside him where he needed him most, his whole body going taut in shocking pleasure.  He shrieked when Damon hit him there again, warmth travelling through his whole body.

 

“Damon!” he cried, “Christ, I-I’m close…”

  
Damon’s hand wrapped around his length, and he groaned, feeling the elder vampire’s pace pick up.  The heat of everything became too much, and Damon sunk his fangs into Enzo’s neck, making the younger wail in pleasure as everything built up, and he climaxed, spurting over his and Damon’s stomach, still remembering what he did to the officer as Damon also came.

 

He was extremely impressed with himself, he realised as he tiredly panted, the aftershocks running through him, hands wiring in Damon’s hair.

 

*

 

“I may have done that, but I have never, never raped someone.” Enzo shook his head, “I can’t even stand to look at you right now, Damon Salvatore!”

 

Damon retorted, “Well you don’t have to.  I’m getting the hell outta here.  I don’t need to take this.”  
  


“Don’t bother!” Enzo yelled, “I’m g-gonna go and pack my bags.  I’m leaving.  We’re over.  Done.”  
  


He stormed upstairs, leaving a devastated looking Damon with Alaric, the sound of Enzo throwing his stuff into a bag whilst attempting to stifle gut-wrenching sobs breaking his heart.

 

“I fucked up, again.” stated Damon, and his sadness quickly spiralled into anger as he grabbed a bottle of bourbon and cast it across the room, it smashing against the wall, the brown fluid cascading down the paintwork.

 

Alaric sighed to his irate friend, “Yeah, you did.  But you can try and change it.”

 

Damon inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm his breathing, the sound harsh and angry.  Slowly, he made his way up the stairs to his and Enzo’s room, where his boyfriend (ex) was throwing his clothes into a suitcase shakily, his whole body demolished with trembles.

 

“Enzo…” Damon breathed, touching his lover’s shoulders, “Please… I-I’m sorry.”  
  


Enzo muttered, “N-No wonder they hate us… I wondered… I wondered why Caroline seemed to despise you the most, but I never guessed… Wow, I’m so stupid!” he raised his voice, refusing to even look at Damon.

 

“Enz… Enzo, look at me, baby…” Damon pleaded, taking his hand, “Look at me…”

 

Enzo finally turned, his face red from tears, “D-Damon…”

 

“Oh, Enzo, I am so sorry…” his thumb stroked away tear tracks, “I love you, and I am sorry.  I messed up and I… I’m sorry.   Please forgive me…”

 

Enzo released a small sob before resting his head against Damon’s chest, breaking down in sobs.  He hated fighting with Damon.  He only trusted him completely.  Nobody else, not even Alaric.

 

\--

 

“Hush, Kol…” Elijah murmured, cradling his little brother as he sobbed in his arms, needing to hurt himself, “Shh.”

 

Kol cried out suddenly, being pulled out of Davina’s little bubble as Monique stormed in, the door slamming behind her, her eyes blank with utter rage.  Elijah’s head nearly turned 360 degrees as he fell with a terrifying snapping sound, his dark eyes wide and staring.

 

Monique threw Kol against the wall, pinning his arms up, scars appearing across them, muttering a spell.

 

“You failed me, Kol.” she stated, “I told you to kill him, or yourself, and you could do neither.”

 

Kol sobbed and twisted, “I’m sorry!” he whimpered, “Stop!  Please, just don’t!”

 

“Every wound you’ve ever had inflicted upon you is reappearing, and will stay as long as I live!” she hissed, “Nobody -- NOBODY -- disrespects me like that!  I am a Deveraux witch!” she smirked as carvings of ‘monster’ appeared on his flesh, “Self-inflicted.” she stated, “It seems you and Girlbert are the perfect match!”  
  


Suddenly, the door opened, and Klaus darted in, seeing what she was doing to Kol and instantly rushing to kill her, but being instantly chucked back against the wall, being forced to watch his brother bleed.

 

Finn came up behind Monique, about to rip her heart from her chest, but as soon as he touched her flesh, his hand caught fire, the flames instantly capturing his form, screams of agony being drawn from him as he attempted to bat them away, the fire sticking to him like chewing gum, flames refusing to lick any part of Kol’s room.

 

“You cannot stop me.” Monique stated, her facial expression one of sickening joy.

 

All of a sudden, Kai appeared behind her, having been invisible temporarily, his hand going to her throat, draining the magic away.  She squawked, looking up at her assailant with fear and betrayal written on her face.  Kai drained her until she collapsed unconscious, then released the Mikaelsons from Monique’s magic’s thrall, the feel of stealing somebody else’s magic practically orgasmic, like the best high one could ever have.

 

\--

 

A few days later, and a crowd of supernaturals had crowded in the town centre, compelled, innocent human bypassers unaware of what was about to occur.  Klaus walked in front of the gaggle of people, his face filled with sincerity, almost anger, dragging Monique Deveraux along, her hands cuffed with magic-restricting shackles.

 

In the crowd were her mother and aunt, Jane-Anne and Sophie, both sobbing and struggling in the grips of Rebekah and Finn, each knowing Monique’s doomed fate.

 

Elijah was elsewhere, unable to watch the murder of a child so young, even if it was for revenge for hurting his younger brother.

 

Kol was deep within the crowd, his face shielded by a hood that disguised his still-healing wounds, trying not to draw attention to himself.  He looked around and stopped dead when he saw Jeremy’s face poking out from the crowd.

 

He made his way over to the Gilbert boy, about to apologise as soon as he noticed him, but finding himself suddenly wrapped in Jeremy’s arms.

 

“I know.” the taller boy murmured, “I’m sorry too.”

 

Joshua was hidden in the midst of the other vampires, his shoulders slumped nervously instead of primed fiercely like a warrior, like most of Marcellus Gerard’s troupe were.  He hadn’t ever done the whole ‘badass’ thing well, and knew he probably wouldn’t ever get the hang of it.  His eyes wandered over to the werewolf pack and he acknowleged his boyfriend -- ex -- was there beside Hayley Marshall and the leader of the pack, Jackson.

 

A shiver run down his back, and he turned back to the attraction, hearing increasing howls of ‘witch’ being jeered towards them.  Everyone was aware what happened during these sort of things, when someone attempted to undermine The Originals.

 

Kai stood with Bonnie, holding her hand, stroking his thumb gently over her knuckles.  He gave a smile when Davina came to join them.

 

“Little D!” he greeted her, hugging her with his free arm.

 

She smiled into his chest, then let the expression fade as she returned her glance towards Klaus, one of dread filling her features.

 

Caroline was asking the hybrids if they had seen Tyler, but each answered briefly with a ‘no’ or a ‘fuck off’, and in the end, she gave up, sighing.  She knew he had skipped town -- she sensed it.

 

Elena and Stefan stood together, Stefan’s eyes narrowing when he saw Damon and Enzo acting all coupley, grinding his teeth together in annoyance.

 

Alaric, however, was nowhere to be seen, and was most likely off with Jenna.  Nadia and Sage were chatting until Klaus finally began talking.

 

“Today, we have the trial of sixteen year old Monique Deveraux.” his voice rung through the square, “Her crime?  She abused her gift of magic and pulled my dearest younger brother Kol under her thrall, forcing him to hurt himself and his friend, as well as kill Alexia Branson, a loved member of our community.  Then, she attempted to murder us all in a final attempt.”

 

Kol arched an eyebrow, whispering, “That isn’t right.”

 

“What?” Jeremy asked, confuddled.

 

Kol replied, “I didn’t kill Lexi.  I remember everything I did, and I certainly did not kill her… I know it.”

 

“Are you sure?” Jeremy asked, “You seemed to be pretty out of it.”

 

Kol nodded, “I am sure.”

 

Klaus continued, “The punishment for her crimes is death, as we are all aware.  How do you plead, Miss Deveraux?  Do you plead guilty in front of your mother and aunt?”

 

“The only thing I am guilty of is getting caught!” Monique smirked derangedly.

 

Klaus murmured, “Very well.” and wired his hands in Monique’s raven locks, pulling her head slightly to the side, exposing her slender throat.

 

Jane-Anne shrieked in horror as Klaus’ eyes glowed hybrid gold when he sunk his fangs into the her daughter’s soft flesh, draining her of her blood.  He drank until she was too weak to move or run, letting her drop to her knees, eyes rolling bad with the blood loss.  He locked his hand into a karate chop, and with brute force, hit his hand against her neck, taking her head off in a sweep, seeing it roll against the grass as the stump of her neck erupted blood over the make-shift stage.

 

Josh flinched and looked away as the girl’s body sunk onto it’s side, hearing the distraught cries of the other two Deveraux witches as they lost a member of their family.  Klaus hopped off the ‘stage’, grinning as Rebekah and Finn released the two witches, allowing them to lament and grieve, their sobs deafening and horrific.

 

Kai’s gaze instantly deviated from the gore, knowing this was his fault.  He had allowed one of the kids he cared for to be murdered because she attacked a selfish, arrogant child of a vampire.  His fist clenched at his side, and he saw the vampire he was thinking about stroll over.

 

“Kol.” Bonnie greeted, seeing him with Jeremy, “Hey, Jer.  How are you?”  
  


Kol shrugged, “Better.”  
  


“Your burned…” Davina stated, reaching to brush his cheek, “How did that happen?”

 

Kol felt his head bob from side to side as he answered, “Tavern brawl with Nik about three hundred years ago.  Got a tiny bit out of hand.”

 

“No shit.” Jeremy scoffed, letting his hand touch the wound, drawing a hiss from Kol, “Sorry.  How long will it take you to heal?”  
  


Kai replied, “Should take about 4-5 days more.  Any longer, call me, I’ll deal with it.”

 

“Thanks, mate.” Kol slightly smiled, “For everything, I mean.  Without you, I’d probably be dead.”

 

Kai asked, “Like Monique?” and an awkward silence fell between them for a few seconds, “Right… bit too insensitive.  Sorry.”

 

Davina sighed, “She was your friend too, Kai.”  
  


“Anyway!  I heard somebody has got herself a boyfriend.” Bonnie teased, narrowing her eyes at Davina, “Marcel told me when he popped into the store yesterday.”  
  


Kol smirked, intruiged, “Oh?  Who is he, Davina?”  
  


“His name’s Kaleb.” she dipped her head, blushing, “He’s from England, and his family are moving here.  He’s a witch too!”

 

Jeremy asked, “He hot?”

 

“Jer!” she laughed, “Yeah, he is.  You should’ve seen Josh’s reaction.  All I can tell you is there was a shitload of squealing.”

 

Jeremy huffed, “I can imagine.”  
  


“Right!” Kol crossed his arms, “I should head off to the old homestead, get my drink of blood!”

 

Jeremy nodded, “Okay.” and gave the vampire a brief, awkward hug, then seeing him bound off like a rabbit, “I gotta go too, Elena and Stefan’ll be wondering where the hell I am.” he turned on his heel and walked off.

 

“They are so crushing on each other!” Bonnie stated, feeling Kai wrap her up in his arms.

 

Davina giggled, “It’s obvious!”

 

\--

 

When Kol arrived home, he saw (but heard first) Elijah and Klaus arguing over Klaus’ decision to outlaw vamp/wolf relationships.  They were bellowing at each other across the room so loudly that Kol groaned, rubbing his temple as he pulled his hood down.

 

“Shout louder!” he called into the room, “The earthquakes are yet to start!”

 

Elijah rolled his eyes, “Be silent, Kol.  I am sticking up for your friend Joshua here!”

 

“I don’t have friends!” Kol retorted, looking in the mirror and grimacing at the network of wounds down his neck, the burns on his cheek healing.

 

He exhaled, rolling up his sleeves and seeing various wounds, some from his brothers and some from himself, marking his arms.  He could feel where Klaus had bitten him scratching his throat.

 

“Fine!” Klaus admitted defeat, “I shan’t pass this law!  Just piss off!”

 

Elijah sighed in relief, “Thank you, brother,” then headed through into the other room, seeing Kol staring at his self-inflicted scars, tracing his finger over them and heaving a sigh.

 

He walked over, seeing Kol’s features twist with sadness, tears filling his eyes as he released a soft hiccup.  He liked healing -- then he wouldn’t have to see what a fuck up he was.

 

“Oh, Kol…” Elijah sighed, taking him into his arms, pressing his lips to the top of his head, “I despise Monique for what she has done to you.  Making you relive your sadness like this, as well as murder a fellow member of the community…”

 

Kol mumbled against Elijah’s suit-clad chest, “I didn’t kill Alexia.”  
  


“Sorry?” Elijah released him, confused.

 

Kol sighed, “I was framed.  I know I didn’t kill her.”

 

“Then who did?” Elijah instantly believed him -- he trusted Kol.

 

Kol shrugged, “God knows.”

 

\--

 

Tyler groaned as he felt his bones shift back into place.  He had turned eighty eight times in a row now.  Surely that was enough.  But he still felt loyal to Klaus, so he knew it wasn’t over.  His eyes glowed golden as agony began to shoot through his body, a scream escaping him.

 

\--

 

Finn was searching Kol’s room for any blades, not letting his little brother harm himself like that any more.  He was done.

 

His hand ran over a book with a leather cover, and he opened it, flickering to the last page with writing on it.

 

Dear Diary,

 

I hate him.  I bloody hate Finn and his whore of a lover.  To be perfectly honest, I hope Mikael wakes from his slumber and ends our pathetic family.  We’re a curse, as mother says.  I just want him -- them -- gone.  I just want to be gone.

 

Kol.

 

Finn felt anger spiral through himself when he read that, and he looked up, finding the blades where the book had been resting.  He grabbed the metal, and decided he wouldn’t let his brother get away with that.  Injured or not injured.  He needed punished.  He needed told.

 

Kol opened the door, stopping when he saw Finn, “What are you doing here?”  
  


“I was looking for your blades, brother.” Finn’s eyes glowed with rage, “I found your diary.  Naturally, I had a peek.” he started forward, and Kol backed away, “You wish us dead?  You wish yourself dead?”

 

Kol stammered, “F-Finn… You don’t understand… I-I wrote that a while ago… I was m-mad… I didn’t m-mean--” he was cut off when Finn grabbed his throat, forcing the blades into his flesh, a squeaking gurgle escaping him.

 

“You ungrateful runt.” Finn growled, banging his head against the wall, “You bloody, ungrateful runt!” he saw tears fill Kol’s eyes, “Oh, here we go!” he grabbed Kol’s wrist with his free hand, “You want to cut yourself like a little boy?” he dug his fingernails into Kol’s flesh, making him bleed profusely.

 

“Finn, please!” Kol sobbed out around the razor blade, “St-Stop!”  
  


Kol was suddenly dropped to the ground, where he landed on all fours, coughing and choking.  Finn kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying against the wall.

 

Rebekah charged in, stopping when she saw Kol -- her big, clever, irascible brother -- sobbing on the floor, covered in his own blood, choking on it, “Finn!” she gasped, “Bloody hell!”  
  


“Goodbye!” he yelled, retreating to his room.

 

Rebekah rushed to Kol, “Brother…” she sighed, reaching to take the blade from his throat, but being stopped by his thrashing, “Calm down… Elijah!” she called, and saw her elder brother dash into the room, running to Kol.

 

“Oh, my God…” he breathed, “Kol?  Kol… it’s okay, brother.  Rebekah’s taking the blade from your throat so you can get better.”  
  


Kol whimpered and thrashed more, hysterical sobs escaping him.  Eventually, Elijah just held him down whilst Rebekah practically surgically removed the piece of iron.  When it was gone, Elijah held Kol close, kissing his forehead.

 

“It’s over…” he murmured, “It’s over… You’re okay.”

 

Rebekah saw Kol’s diary, and let her eyes skim it, letting out a shuddering gasp when she finished, dropping the book in Elijah’s lap, tears in her eyes as she jumped up, running out.

 

“Elijah…” Kol shook his head, “I’m sorry.”

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Jane-Anne and Sophie Deveraux stood in their house, crouched over a makeshift cauldron, each weeping over the loss of Monique.

 

“Those bastard Originals…” Sophie murmured, “We need to put a stop to them.”

 

Jane-Anne nodded, “And t-to the Gilbert boy, he’s the reason my… my Monique is-- is…”

 

“Hey…” Sophie put a hand on her sister’s shoulder, “It’s not over.  It’s far from over.  We can stop them.  We can.”

 

Jane-Anne nodded.

 

One thing was for sure -- Sophie was right.

 

It was far from over.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that! Follow me on twitter @WhatTheWentz and Tumblr i-am-the-poisoned-youth. Also on instagram @poison3dy0uth
> 
>  
> 
> Five facts about me:
> 
> 1\. I'm Scottish
> 
> 2\. I'm 16 and I was born on the 11th of August
> 
> 3\. I'm emo af
> 
> 4\. Certain shows ruin my life
> 
> 5\. I'm pansexual and demiromantic.


	7. Chapter Six: These Bruises Make For Better Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kol faces a horrific choice.

Weeks passed, and neither Finn nor Rebekah had hardly spoken to Kol. His sister remained in her room most of the time, with Katerina he presumed, and he was now having to walk to school. When he was at there at school, she would simply turn away her head, acting like he didn’t even exist. Finn, on the other hand, would ignore him until he couldn’t hold in his anger, then beat him to hell before leaving him, screaming on the floor. So Kol generally avoided him.

Jeremy and Kol had grown closer together over the past weeks, studying together often, as well as listening to music together in class.

“Uh… Morgan Le Fay?” Kol replied.

Jeremy peeked at his notes, “Correct. She was the witch in the Arthurian legends.”

 

“And Arthur’s sister.” Kol added, seeing Jeremy arch an eyebrow, “I used to read a lot, the legends were interesting. Why are we learning this?”

Jeremy shrugged, “I dunno. What has a fictional legend got to do with English at all?”

“Yet again proving the theory that tutors are a different species entirely.” Kol smirked.

Jeremy yawned, “I’m bored.”

 

“Of course you are, darling, you are doing homework.” deadpanned Kol before snorting a laugh, picking up his pillow and chucking it Jeremy’s way, “Cheer up, luv.”

Jeremy narrowed his eyes, chucking it back, “Okay, your majesty!”

“Piss off!” Kol pushed the human softly.

Jeremy smirked, “Nope!” then pulled the vampire off the bed, hearing him squeak and giggle as he landed atop the human.

Kol continued to chuckle breathlessly until he realised how close Jeremy and he were from kissing, once more. He could feel the human’s warm hands against the small of his back, the heat of them setting fire to his nerves. A silence fell between them as he moved to close the distance, only to be stopped when the door creaked open slightly, Hayley Marshall’s head awkwardly peeking through and wrecking the moment, a crimson blush rising over her tanned skin.

Kol pushed himself upward, brushing his clothes, then he chivalrously helped up his friend, clearing his throat as he stared towards his brother’s girlfriend, who was going even more pink.

“S-Sorry about that…” he stammered to stop himself from laughing.

She pushed her hair backwards, “N-no… it’s, erm, it’s fine. Just came to tell you that lunch is, er, ready if you guys want it.”

“Sure, I could eat.” Jeremy crossed his arms over his chest before pushing past Hayley.

Kol groaned, “Please don’t tell my siblings?”

“That you have a boyfriend?” she smirked.

Kol shook his head, “We aren’t together.”

“Whatever. Your secret is safe with me.” she reassured as they entered the dining room, Kol going to sit beside Jeremy.

The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence, Kol letting his gaze wash over each and every one of his siblings and their current love interests, sans Rebekah’s, whom was probably hiding somewhere.

“So…” Elijah awkwardly broke the tension, “How is school going?”

 

Kol shrugged, “It’s alright, I suppose. We’re learning Arthurian legends.”

“Like Merlin and Arthur, sword in the stone kind of things?” asked Klaus, knowing the answer but hating the silence.

Jeremy nodded, “Yeah. That kind of stuff. Kol here seems to have a fascination with Morgan Le Fay.”

“Hm.” Rebekah acknowledged, “I wonder why? He’s so like her, I guess. Cold, manipulative, ungrateful, hater of siblings, hated by siblings.”

Kol looked down, “Look, Bex…”

“No!” she rose her voice sharply, “I’m talking, Kol. For once, listen to somebody other than your bloody ego!”

Her elder brother huffed, “Well… I can see I’m wanted here.”

“I’ll just…” Jeremy cleared his throat, “I’m just… uh… yeah…” he said before disappearing out the door.

Rebekah shouted, “You’re a condescending, supercilious bastard! And nobody cares about your stupid manpain or your boyfriend! Come on, why are you even here if you clearly don’t want to be?”

“Stop it!” a sob broke from Kol, and he rested his head against the table to muffle himself.

Finn scoffed, “And now he’s weeping. How pathetic. I ought to beat the sissyness out of you, boy!”

“You sound just like father!” Kol cried, getting to his feet, furious tracks of tears rolling down his cheeks, “God… why am I crying? I am so sick of bloody crying because of an abusive piece of shit brother like you!”

 

Finn snapped, blurring and grabbing Kol by the throat, so hard that his younger brother was unable to even scream out. Elijah got to his feet.

“Release the boy…” he mumbled, not loud enough or confident enough to be heard.

Kol whimpered as he was impaled upon one of Niklaus’ stag statues, the antlers skewering him as he choked on his own blood. Agony tore through his body, a sob breaking from his throat as he attempted to push himself away from it. When he finally landed, he doubled over in pain, feeling his vampiric powers try and patch him up.

Elijah attempted to rush to him, but Kol put up a hand, stopping him. His dark eyes were filled with pure rage, and he turned around, attempting to not break down, before going to walk out.

Finn blurred in front of him, “You’re grounded.”

“No, I’m not.” Kol hissed, “Now piss off.”

Finn narrowed his eyes, “Excuse me?”

“I said, ‘piss off’, didn’t you hear me?” growled Kol.

Finn attempted to grab him, but the younger ducked out of the way, his lip peeling back in a snarl, baring his ivory fangs.

“Leave me alone!” Kol snapped, then walked out.

Elijah crossed his arms, “To quote our brother, ‘oh, shit’.”

\--

“Enzoooo?” Damon called, walking through the hallway of his mansion, “Enzo, where are you?”

No reply.

He continued to walk, his voice raising slightly in volume, “Enzo?”

“He’s not in!” Alaric yelled back.

Damon ‘hmm’ed at that, then walked into his and Enzo’s bedroom, his eyes roaming around. He huffed in impatience, then walked over to the bookcase, running his finger over each bump of a novel, his blue eyes searching for a title that grasped his interest. He frowned when he found none, having read practically every book in the house already.

A sound distracted him -- a choking, rattling gasp. Damon descended the stairs, confusion written upon his face.

Suddenly, a bloody figure came crashing through the door, sobbing and shouting in pain. Damon realised with horror that it was Enzo, and caught him as he began to plummet towards the floor. He rested the younger vampire against his knee, thumb stroking over a healing gash on his cheek.

“Oh, my God…” he breathed, studying his partner’s body, seeing more wounds, “Who did this to you? Tell me, baby… what happened?”

Enzo made a sound like he was being strangled, then whimpered, “I’m scared.” before his strength dissipated and his head lolled weakly to the side, his eyes falling shut.

“Enzo?” Damon cried, thankful that his lover’s skin wasn’t desiccating, because that would mean -- no, he couldn’t think about that.

That wasn’t a possibility.

\--

Kai Parker was bored. He was sitting in a desolate magic store, alone with his thoughts, whilst Bonnie was away on a shopping trip. He frowned, rolling a coin between his fingers. He was miserable.

The past three days, he had been left alone. You would think somebody who had been solitary for nearly twenty years would’ve gotten used to it, but truthfully, it never got easier for Kai. Yes, he regretted what he did but he also hated his father for his punishment.

Nobody deserved to live that way. Alone for what could be a quarter of a lifetime, unable to age, unable to die. And if it weren’t for Klaus’ ritual, Kai could’ve been in there forever. He’dve probably went mad. Well. Madder than usual.

There was a ring of a bell as the door to the shop opened slightly, Kol Mikaelson’s dark haired head peeking around the corner.

“You open?” the vampire asked.

Kai huffed in response, “Look at the door.”

The brightly coloured ‘We’re Closed’ sign was inches from Kol’s face, and when he looked at it, he groaned, “That sucks.”

 

“What do you want?” Kai straightened.

Kol walked in, exhaling, “I-- I want something that can take down an Original vampire.”

“Ah, your siblings annoying you, are they?” Kai asked.

Kol let his eyes roam over one of the glass cabinets, “Yup. I just…” his voice became soft, “I can’t live with him anymore.”

“Who?”

Kol sighed, “Finn. I’m so fucking tired of being his punch bag… I want rid of him.”

“Finn’s your brother, Kol…” Kai let the words spill out, “Trust me as someone who’s killed the majority of his own siblings, you’ll regret it. Family is everything.”

 

Kol turned around, tears sparkling in his eyes, his voice pitched up in a shriek, “Don’t ever call him that!”

“You care about him.” Kai noted.

Kol shook his head, “N-No I don’t!”

“Then why are you so upset?” Kai queried.

Kol stammered, “I-- I, w-well, I… He doesn’t care about me!”

“A few weeks ago, he helped save you from Monique.” Kai pointed out, “You’re his little brother, Kol. He loves you. Even if he has a funny way of showing it.” Kai sighed, “But I’m going to give you something. A choice.” the warlock disappeared into another room whilst Kol tried to compose himself -- he was an Original for God’s sake!

Kai returned a few minutes later, whispering an incantation as he shook a tiny bottle between his thumb and forefinger, it containing a small, black fluid, perhaps about ten drops worth in it, no smell emitting from it. Kai’s grey eyes looked up and met Kol’s dark ones as he handed the liquid over.

“Pour this into his blood and it’ll lull him into a state of paralysis.” explained Kai, “It’s permanent. Irreversible. Effects happen immediately.” he swallowed, “I hope to God you don’t have to use it, okay?”

Kol blinked a few times, “I don’t care about God. I need him gone.”

He knew that his other siblings would automatically figure out who poisoned Finn, but didn’t care. All they could really do to him was dagger or stake him.

“Thank you.” murmured Kol, “I’ll pay you--”

 

Kai held up his hand, “No need.”

“Okay. Thanks, mate.” he turned, then mumbled to himself, “I’ve just got one place to visit first.”

Kai watched the vampire leave and inhaled shakily. If Kol did this, it’d take the Originals no time at all to figure out where he bought it. They would execute him. The warlock cursed under his breath, praying that Kol wouldn’t go through with it, that he’d realise just how bad things would get if he did.

\--

Jeremy sat in his bedroom, head pressed against his pillow, lying atop the covers, regretting leaving Kol there. He was a crappy friend, he should’ve stabbed that asshole Finn.

There was a knock at his room’s door, and Elena peeked her head around it, “Dinner’s ready. Jenna made your favourite.”

“Not hungry.” he huffed.

Elena sighed, “What’s wrong?”

 

“Everything.” Jeremy groaned.

Elena pushed her hair over one shoulder, then came and sat on the bed beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder, “Jer, I’m your sister. You can tell me.”

“I really can’t.” sighed the teen, shuffling slightly.

Elena’s voice choked up slightly, “I’m really worried about you, Jeremy. I think… I think you need help.”

“Well.” he sat up, “It’s a good thing that thinking isn’t your strong point, isn’t it?” he smiled coldly.

He heard a knock at the front door, hopping up, practically recognising Kol’s knock by now. He rushed past Stefan and Jenna, then opened the door, seeing Kol stand there, his eyes filled with confliction.

“You’re alright!” Jeremy exclaimed, then rushed forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the Original, feeling him stiffen slightly, then pulled away, confused, “What’s wrong?” his hands ran over Kol’s arms, a ghost of a touch, “You’re shaking!”

Kol swallowed, “I… I need to speak to you in p-private.”

 

“Okay.” Jeremy stepped onto the porch, closing the door, “What’s wrong?”

Kol cupped Jeremy’s cheek with his palm, “I am so sorry. I’ve gotta do something and I know I’m going to get in a lot of trouble for it, so this could be the last time I see you.”

“W-What?” stuttered Jeremy, “I don’t understand!”

Kol pulled away slightly, “I’m so sorry.” he was pacing like a madman, “I have to do this.”

Jeremy took his hand without even realising, and Kol looked to where his and the human’s hands touched, his wild eyes calming slightly, a slanted smile twisting his lips.

“Please…” Jeremy begged, “Whatever you’re about to do… Just don’t. Please.”

Kol sighed and turned to leave, but Jeremy’s hand snaked up to his wrist, tugging him back. The Original looked back where yet again, flesh contacted flesh, and he couldn’t fight it anymore.

“Ah, fuck it.” he muttered before touching Jeremy’s cheek with his free hand and pressing his lips to the younger’s in a bittersweet, saddened kiss.

Jeremy’s hands dropped to his own side, not really sure of what to do, one hand fidgeting in his shirt as Kol’s tongue pressed against his lips, silently asking for access, which Jeremy granted. His arms finally began to run up Kol’s chest, then his hands linked behind his neck as Kol’s moved down to the small of his back, pulling him closer. Jeremy gasped in between kisses, feeling the brick of his house dig into his back, wincing slightly.

Kol pulled away at that noise, his dark eyes meeting sorrowfully with Jeremy’s, then parting completely from him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, then blurred away, leaving the human panting.

\--

Lights filled Enzo’s vision as his eyes cracked open weakly, and he groaned, blinking a few times to adjust. His head ached, as did the rest of his body, and he could barely recognise that he was in his bedroom.

He shot up into a sitting position, confused. Damon was lying half folded on the bed, asleep, his knees touching the ground. Enzo laughed weakly, thinking he looked very bizarre.

Enzo’s minute huff of amusement was enough to waken the other vampire, who make a squeak of confusement, then looked at his boyfriend.

“Enz! You’re okay!” he blurred closer, kissing him, “Thank God.”

Enzo pulled away, “What--” he coughed, realising it hurt to talk, “What happened?”

“We were kinda hoping you could tell us that one,” Alaric said, leaning into the room, “You okay, buddy?”

Enzo groaned, “Asides from the automobile alarm going off in my head.”

“Oh, baby…” Damon fussed, his thumb stroking over Enzo’s temple, “I’ll kill whoever did this.”

Enzo shrugged, “Well, I don’t remember them, whoever they were. How did I get here? I was out on a walk and… and that’s everything I remember.”

“Nothing else at all?” Ric questioned.

Enzo shook his head, “Just darkness. God, I’m cold.”

“Here, baby…” Damon wrapped more blankets around him, “You’re going to be okay.”

\--

Kol entered his house as quietly as possible, shutting the door with a subtle click. He could hear the murmur of the television from the living room, and made his way up the stairs, only to hear a sigh behind him.

He turned to see Finn leaning against the rail at the bottom of the staircase, “Hello, Kol.”

“F-Finn.” Kol’s stance faltered.

The elder kept his distance, “Where were you?”

“I was… erm… I was out.” Kol replied.

Finn let out a humorless laugh, “And you wonder why I resent you. You’re very stoic. Too stoic. It’s highly rude.”

“W-Well…” Kol stammered, “I-I… I’m sorry.”

Finn gave an uncharacteristic eye roll at that, “And you’re always apologising. Sage and I had a discussion, and I can now admit that on this occasion, I was wrong to hurt you.”

“Is that your attempt at an apology?” Kol scoffed.

Finn frowned, looking genuinely dejected, “Well, if you would rather me going back to detesting you…”

“No!” Kol said, a little too eagerly for his own liking.

His brother ascended the stairs, patting his shoulder as he went by, “I do not hate you, brother.” he mumbled as he walked past.

Kol dipped his head, then blurred to his room as soon as Finn had disappeared in a different direction, flopping onto his bed as soon as he did, pulling the vial from his pocket, staring at it, his mind at war with itself. Part of him wanted to do it, so badly, wanted Finn to suffer as he had in the past thousand years. He wanted the fucker dead.

But another part of his mind still loved Finn, his eldest brother, one of his family, despite what he tried to convince himself.

Could he do it? Could he essentially murder his own brother? He thought then of Malachai and how this would affect him. If the others found out where he got the serum from, the warlock would be executed.

Kol was selfish, but could he cost the life of a friend?

He pressed the his iPod dock and turned on some music, loud enough for people not to hear him talk to himself.

“Come on, Kol.” he heard himself say, “The bastard terrorized you all your life. He deserves this.”

He reached into his drawer, pulling out a blade, he had them hidden all over his room, in his beanbag, his pillow, everywhere possible. Hissing lightly, he drew the blade across his wrist, a scarlet line following the silver for a quick second before it healed. He hated the quick healing ones.

He turned around, lying on his back, bottle in one hand, blade in the other, jutting ever so slightly into the velvet of his palm.

“Well, I could always down it.” he muttered to himself, “Damn you Kai. Giving me an impossible choice. Wanker.”

There was a knock at his door and he jutted up into a sitting position, hurriedly putting both objects into his pockets.

“Come in!” he called.

Hayley poked her head around the door, “Came to check on you. What happened this morning wasn’t very fair.”

“You’re telling me.” Kol scoffed.

Hayley walked over and sat on the bed, “I just wanted you to know… you aren’t alone.”

“You do know I’m older than you?” Kol crossed his arms, “I’m the one who gets to play the wise old badarse.”

Hayley ducked her head slightly, “Of course, my lord.” then smirked, “Get off.” before lowering her voice, “So, what did Kai give you?”

“What are you talking about?” Kol played dumb.

She gave a small, humorless laugh, “Funny. I was worried, so I asked Aiden to keep an eye out for you, and he saw you go into the magic shop and purchase something. He said you looked upset. What have you done?”

“Nothing.” Kol mumbled, “Yet.”

Hayley furrowed her brows, “‘Yet’? What’re you going to do?”

“I can’t. You’d tell on me.” Kol’s voice became childish in the last few words of his sentence, “And then I’d get in a fuck-load of trouble.”

Hayley’s hand rested on his knee, “Kol, if you’ve got away of stopping Finn, don’t. He’s your big brother, and you do love him. He’s family. Granted, he’s an asshole but you could always leave.”

“No, I couldn’t.” Kol said, “I really couldn’t. If I tried… the consequences would be horrific.”

She added, “So will the ones if you hurt him. I know you’ll make the right decision.” she stroked a thumb over his cheek, “You’re smart, like Elijah. And Elijah cares about you.”

“Doesn’t show it.” the vampire mumbled.

The wolf shrugged, “That’s because he’s scared of him too. You often forget, Finn is Elijah’s older brother too. He holds some kind of weird authority over him.”

Kol sighed, his eyes filling with tears, “I don’t want him to hurt me anymore.” he choked, “He’s supposed to love me, be my brother, not treat me like shit!”

“I know…” she murmured, hugging him close, stroking his back, “But that’s just the way some people show love. Through pain. They do it because they’re the one who’s fucked up and is going to end up alone.”

Kol heard Elijah’s car pull up at the drive and raised his head, looking at Hayley, “Y-You should go.”

“He was looking for you.” she told him, “God, he was worried.”

Kol swallowed, “Tell him that I’d rather be alone right now.”

“Okay.” she got up, “You going to be okay?”

Kol nodded, sniffling, “Thank you.” when she turned to go, he called, “Oh, and Hayley?”

“Yeah?” she turned back.

He announced, “I kissed Jeremy.”

“Oh, my God.” she almost squealed, “I am proud. See you later.”

He gave another nod, “See you.” she closed his door after she walked away, leaving him once more, alone.

He laid back against his bed, the decision still burning in his mind. That was three people now who had told him he shouldn’t, not because it could get him into trouble but because of the impact it would have on him.

He was crying, still. He was sick of crying like an infant, but yet his emotions always betrayed him. Being a vampire wasn’t a happy existence. He couldn’t even remember a time he was happy. It was years, centuries since.

The closest things he had to happiness was the feeling of a blade against his wrist and being around him. That damned human. A human.

A hundred or so years previous, Kol would’ve laughed at that. Falling in love was for children anyway, but falling in love with a pathetic mortal? That wasn’t the story of vampirism. People died in vampire stories, well, the good ones.

Kol got to his feet, shedding his hoodie, pulling the blade and the bottle from his pocket before walking to the nearest bathroom and locking himself in. There was seven bathrooms in the whole house, one for each sibling and two for guests/consorts/compelled workers.

The Original stumbled against the sink, looking at himself in the mirror and seeing only the darkness reflected back. It consumed him, devoured him. Kol rested his arm over the sink and drew a thick line with the razor, trying to punish himself. He was a bastard. A rotten, no-good bastard who was willing to betray his own family.

He dropped the blooded razor into the sink, watching as his deep wounds were knitted over with new layers of regenerated skin. He lifted the bottle and popped the lid. This was what he deserved. He deserved to die.

The top touched his lips and he wondered if the effects were as sudden as Kai had described. He began to tilt, his hand trembling, but as the first drop began to fall he put it down.

‘I can’t do this.’ Kol thought, ‘I have friends, a family, I’m in love. I can’t just put myself into a coma.’

He thought again of doing it to Finn, seeing his brother gasp for air as he fell into an eternal slumber. Although the thought was satisfying to the sadistic side to him, he didn’t want to lose another family member.

He tilted the vial and spilled the potion down the drain, seeing it mingle with his own blood as it did so. A sudden anger directed at everyone (and himself) washed over him, and he chucked the empty bottle against the wall with a roar, seeing it shatter, like everything inside him did.

Damn them. Damn Kai for giving him that choice, damn Jeremy for making him fall for him, damn Hayley for her kindness even though he didn’t deserve it, damn Finn for making him so weak.

Damn himself for being such a baby.

Kol turned back to the mirror and saw the beginnings of tears in his own eyes, then the shudder of shoulders, the sound of a broken sob running through the air. He slid down against the counter, crying, tugging his own hair frantically as he attempted to quieten himself, pulling his knees up to his chest.

Elijah crashed through the door, “Kol?”

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” he whimpered, shaking his head.

Elijah stepped forward, seeing the blooded razorblade that had dots of black on it also, and also into the corner, seeing the remains of glass. He slid down beside Kol, not quite understanding, blood still oozing from the younger’s wrists.

He pulled Kol close, hating to see his poor little brother so emotionally vulnerable. Kol clung to him, mumbling apologies and making little sense, sobbing softly. Guilt at what he had almost done shouted at him, and he hated it.

\--

Kai laid asleep in his and Bonnie’s bed, resting his face against her pillow, breathing in her scent that still lingered there. He cuddled closer, whining as flashes of his past sins filled his head. He always got nightmares, especially when Bonnie was away.

“Luke… please…” he mumbled under his breath, thrashing his head to the side.

His murmurs of discontent grew in volume until he shot up, a full-blown scream bursting from him as he searched the room frantically. Cold air blew on his bare chest, and he shivered, wondering if he turned on the thermostat. He considered doing a spell to warm himself up but didn’t trust himself without Bonnie to ground him.

He drew the covers around him tightly, then yelped slightly when his phone went off, pinging with a notification. He stretched over, picking it up and looking. He had one new text from Kol.

It read: ‘I didn’t do it. km’

Kai replied, ‘Good.’ before turning his mobile off and shifting back onto his side.

He shut his eyes, willing sleep to take him once more.

\--

Shuffling into Chicago, was a shadow. A shadow of a once-person, but also a once-slave, and now, a creature of both darkness and light. Scars stuck onto it’s skin, it’s eyes glowing fiercely gold, lip peeling back, baring sharp canine teeth.

As it walked past the Welcome sign, it hissed, “I’m back.” before padding onwards.

It’s head was heavy and confused, but it knew why it was back. For her. For the girl so full of light, the blonde. For Caroline.

He was Tyler Lockwood, and he was finally getting what he deserved.


	8. Chapter Seven: Know Why Hope Dies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry it's been a while, been dealing with personal issues, but this is back. Will try and update as much as possible, hope you enjoy!

Kol awoke when Finn called upstairs, “Kol!  School!”

 

He groaned, lifting his head.  He didn’t really want to go, he still felt immensely guilty about the previous day, about nearly making the decision to essentially murder Finn.  Nobody but Malachai knew what his intentions were that day, and he was glad.  All Elijah knew was he was upset about the dinner party from hell.

 

“Kol!  Wake up!” the voice called again.

 

Kol let himself think of Jeremy then.  He kissed him.  In a spur of the moment, I-might-die decision, he had acted on his feelings, and now it was incredibly awkward.

  
The vampire rubbed his eyes, getting into a sitting position before quickly getting dressed.  He caught his reflection in the mirror, seeing the sadness in his own eyes.  He inhaled shakily then forced himself to smile.

  
He wouldn’t let this beat him, the crushing remorse.  He was Kol Mikaelson, the crazy, volatile Original Vampire.

  
When he descended the stairs, he saw Finn standing there, arms crossed, “You took your time.” the elder scoffed.

 

“Well, when you look as good as me, it takes a while to get ready.  Just ask Rebekah.  I mean, she spends ages putting all that orange stuff on her face.” he smirked.

 

Rebekah was in the kitchen, sipping on a bloodbag, “Bloody arsehole!”

 

“That’s me.” Kol slid past Finn, going to the fridge and opening it, then frowning, “We’re out of blood, Nik!”

 

Klaus sighed in irritation, “Feed on one of the servants.  You usually do, anyway.”  
  


“Right.” Kol blurred into the living room, where Klaus was sitting on the couch, “We don’t have any servants who are human.  Just your bloody hybrids and Nadia.  I killed Matt.”

 

Klaus shrugged, “Not my problem then.”

 

“Niklaus, I find your lack of concern for our family rather irksome.” Elijah stated, walking into the room.

 

Klaus looked up, “I’m simply saying, brother, Kol should go hunting for himself.”

 

“Before school?” Kol scoffed, “You do realise I don’t have time to go kill, then clean up, then go for lessons?”

 

Klaus retorted, “Learn to feed without making a mess and you wouldn’t have such an issue.”  
  


“Why are you such a cun--”

 

Elijah interjected, “Kol, please!  That is vulgar.” he sighed, blurring out of the room for a quick second, then returning with a bottle of blood, “Take mine, we can’t have you desiccating mid class, can we?  I’ll pop up to the hospital later.”

 

“Of course you would give him your blood.” grumbled Klaus, “Like he’s your bloody favourite...”

 

Kol rolled his eyes, “You seriously just complained about not being the favourite brother?  You’re the special snowflake!  Anyway, thank you, Lijah.”

 

“You’re my little brother, Kol.” Elijah stated, “I care for you.”

 

Kol smiled, “I know.  See you later.”  he walked into the hall, “Come on, Bekah, we’ll be late!  Well, we won’t, but it’s what humans generally say.”  
  


“Do you want to walk today?” she heaved a sigh.

 

He shook his head, “Not particularly, but if you’re still in a mood with me over the bloody diary, I’ll ‘ave to.”  
  


“I think I’m getting over it, so I’ll drive you.” she crossed her arms, “Just don’t be an arse and I think we’ll get along fine.”

 

\--

 

When the Mikaelson siblings arrived at the school, Kol flinched when he saw Jeremy, who thankfully didn’t notice him.

 

“What the bloody hell is up with you?” Rebekah asked.

 

Kol shook it off, “Nothing.” he hopped out of the car, swiftly disappearing to the cafeteria, where he saw Josh sitting playing Candy Crush on his phone.  “Could you be any more gay?” he asked, sliding into the seat opposite.

 

“Well, I could start making out with every boy here if you want?” Josh retorted, rolling his eyes before sliding his phone into his pocket, “‘Sup, Mikaelson?”

 

Kol sighed, “I’m in a bit of a predicament, and I need your help.”  
  


“Okay, shoot.” Josh leaned back in the chair.

 

Kol dipped his head, “Well I, uh, I kissed Jeremy.” Josh arched an eyebrow, “Heat of the moment kind of thing and now I’m not sure what to do.”  
  


“Well, do you like him?” the other vamp queried.

 

Kol nodded, “Yes, I do.”  
  


“Well, there you go.” Josh smiled, “He obviously likes you.  Ask him out.”

 

Kol blushed, “I.. erm… I don’t want him hurt.  By Nik, I mean.”

 

“Oh.” Josh nodded in acknowledgement, “So your brother isn’t a fan of the dudes doing it?”

 

Kol hissed, “Joshua, keep it down!  And, well... he’s not exactly against it, he just wouldn’t want something -- someone -- like me in his family.”

 

“What about Elijah?” the other vampire asked.

 

Kol shrugged, “I’m not sure what he would do.  I know that Finn would kill me, literally.  Nine hundred years in a box made him… not educated on certain things.  He doesn’t understand that it’s fairly ordinary nowadays for somebody in a family to be bisexual.”

 

“Well, I dunno.” at Kol’s groan, Josh crossed his arms, “I’m not exactly the guru of gayness, I mean I’m a vampire in a relationship with a werewolf, and that’s like, literally, the worst thing in the world.”

 

Kol shrugged, “I think it’s cute.” he paused, looking horrified for a second, “Oh, God, did I just say that?  Good Lord, I’ve went human.”

 

“You say that like humans can’t be douchebags when trust me, they most definitely can.” Josh looked up, a smile gripping his features when he saw a couple walk into the dining hall, “Davina!”

 

The young witch blushed, her hand tightening in the boy who stood beside her’s, “Hey, Josh.”

 

“So,” Kol turned to the man beside her, “I assume you’re Kaleb.”

 

The man nodded, “You assume correctly.  You’re uh… you’re Kol Mikaelson, right?” he offered his free hand, “Might I say it’s a pleasure to meet you?”

 

“You may.” Kol shook his hand firmly, “He’s nice, looks like Joshua and I don’t have to do any murdering.”

 

Kaleb shrunk back, “Murdering?”

 

“Don’t worry, it’ll only happen if you hurt her.” Josh smirked, shaking his hand as soon as Kol let go.

 

Kaleb flushed, “I’ll keep that in mind.”  
  


“Come on, guys, you’re embarrassing him.” Davina gave a smile that lit up the whole room, and Kol couldn’t help but also grin along with her.

 

And then he saw Jeremy enter the hall.

  
“Shit.” he hissed, then looked around, “I’m-- uh… I’ve gotta… I’ve got to return a library book.” he lied before darting away to the men’s room, trying, but failing to not be noticed by Jeremy.

 

The human joined the group, frowning, “Kol’s acting really weird.  I think he’s avoiding me.”

 

“Naaah…” Josh awkwardly straightened, “I’m sure you’re just imagining it.”

 

\--

 

Kol crashed around the men’s room, trying to regain control of himself, his emotions all over the place, everything just blurring into embarrassment.  He looked up as all the humans who were already in the room began to file out, one by one, and arched an eyebrow in confusion.

 

“What the f--” he turned around and saw Jane-Anne Deveraux stroll out from where she was hiding, in one of the cubicles.

 

Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying, and her hands were shaking.  Kol attempted to cry out, but found his voice stolen from him.

 

“Hello, Kol.” her voice trembled, “I trust you haven’t forgot me?   I mean, you did cause the murder of my daughter.  It’s your fault!”

 

Kol attempted to run, but Sophie appeared out of nowhere, “Going somewhere?”

 

“You’re scared.” Jane-Anne noted, “Good.  She was sixteen.”

 

He snarled and tried to grab Sophie, but snatched back his hands in pain when he felt her vervained skin.

 

“We’re going to kill you nice and slowly, just like you deserve.” Sophie growled, and flicked her wrist, snapping his neck.

 

Kol’s body flopped to the ground limply, and Jane-Anne let out an insane cackle, her eyes burning with the rage of only a mother who had lost her baby could have.

 

She would get her revenge.

 

\--

 

Stefan sat in the living room with Elena, casually watching American Horror Story on Netflix, his betrothed burrowed into his side, head rested over his heart, hair messily splayed over him.

 

There was a knock at the door, and Elena sighed in exasperation, pressing a kiss against Stefan’s jaw before getting up from her perch and opening the door, only to cry out in utter horror when she saw Damon holding Jenna by the throat.

 

“Invite me in.” he snarled.

 

Jenna struggled against his grip, whimpering in pain, and Stefan blurred over, looking enraged.

 

“Damon, what the hell?” he shouted, “Let her go.”

 

His brother shook his head, tightening his grip, “Invite me in, one of you otherwise your girlfriend gets to see her dear auntie’s head pop off like a champagne lid.”

 

“Stop it!” Elena cried, tears welling in her eyes, “Please.”  
  


Damon growled, “Oh, trust you to pick the dumb ones.  I said invite me in, and I mean it now.”  
  


“Okay!” Elena shrieked, “You can come in!”

 

He threw Jenna into Elena’s arms, hearing her splutter, then darted to Stefan, pinning him up against the wall in a painful grip.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Stefan groaned, trying to pry his older brother off him.

 

Damon glared, “Like you don’t know.”  
  


“Well, I don’t know, so tell me.” he pushed him away, “Without the violence, we’re in a civilised neighbourhood, not that you’d know that.”  
  


Damon seethed, “Somebody attacked Enzo last night.”

 

“Oh, and you just thought that you’d accuse me?” Stefan snapped.

 

The elder scoffed, “Are you really so surprised?  You fucking hate Enzo, and you’ve sent your little minions after him before!”  
  


“Well, Damon, you and your dumbass logic can walk right back out of here, because I was here last night.” Stefan leant against the wall, “So no, I didn’t attack your boyfriend.  Maybe try somebody else, you have no shortage of enemies.”

 

Damon snarled, stepping forward, “If I have to come back here, then everyone dies.  You, your precious girlfriend and the pretty aunt.” he turned around, walking out.

 

“Oh, my God, Stefan…” Elena whimpered, holding Jenna close, “If it wasn’t you, who was it?”

 

Stefan came and knelt beside her, “I’m not losing sleep over that one.”

 

\--

 

“And a 1, 2, 3, 4!” Caroline called, watching her little troupe of cheerleaders attempt to perform the routine, “Everyone’s lagging today, come on!  Anna, hurry up!”

 

Anna rolled her eyes muttering, “I’ll shove this pompom up your ass in a minute, Suzie Sunshine.”

 

“I heard that.” Caroline replied.

 

Anna smirked, “I know.”

 

Caroline froze as she saw something dart past the forest outlining the field, and narrowed her eyes.  It couldn’t be… could it?

 

She walked in a zombie-esque manner past the cheerleaders, every one of them gazing at her in perplexity.

 

“Caroline?” Anna arched an eyebrow, “Where the hell are you going?”

 

Suddenly, the blonde darted off into the forest, finding herself alone, but sensing that she wasn’t.  There was a rustle, and she turned around and saw Tyler standing, looking dishevelled but still handsome as ever.

 

“Tyler!” she smiled, then ran over, hugging him.

 

It took him a few seconds to hug back, burying his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder, recognising her scent.  She was the pretty blonde.  Caroline.

 

“C-Caroline…” he choked, feeling tears pool in his eyes.

 

She felt them both sink to the ground as he began to sob shakily into her shoulder, and she understood what had happened.  He had put himself through that pain to break the sire bond.  He had willingly broken every single bone in his body over and over for her.

 

She was tempted to start crying too, but didn’t allow herself the luxury.  She hardly ever cried, tried to remain strong throughout everything.

 

“Oh, Tyler…” she kissed his hair, his cheeks, anywhere she could reach, “I’m so sorry.”

 

She felt guilt.  It was her fault.  Yes, he had his free will, but at what cost?  He was broken beyond belief, and she could sense it.

 

She didn’t understand, but she could sense everything about him.  He was shattered to the core.

 

\--

 

“Jeremy Gilbert?” Mr. Saltzman called.

 

“Mmm?” Jeremy looked confused as he fiddled with his earphones.

 

“Mark you down as present, then, earphones out in class please.  Rebekah Mikaelson?”

 

“Present, sir.” she gave him a fake grin, writing down the learning intention.

 

“Rebekah, where’s your brother?”

 

She shrugged, “He was here this morning.  He’s probably bunking, he’s like that.”

 

“Well, that’s enough information.” Alaric sighed, “Josh?”

 

He looked up from his higher work, “Well, I don’t know where he is!” he paused, “Wait, sorry, I’m here.  Obviously.”

 

He wasn’t in their year, technically, he should’ve graduated, but Marcel insisted that he tried to get some higher education so that he could easily assimilate.  So he just sat in the back of Ric’s class half of the time, and in various other classes the other half.

 

“Okay, and I don’t think Kaleb’s here.” Alaric muttered as clicked his computer, finishing the register, “Now, back onto the American Civil War.”  
  


As soon as Ric turned his back, Jeremy leant over to Rebekah, “Is Kol okay?”  
  


“How the hell should I know?” she asked, writing, “I don’t understand my bloody brother.”

 

Jeremy huffed, “I think he’s in trouble.  It’s a gut feeling.”

 

There was a knock at the door, and one of the other teachers opened the door, a nervous looking Kaleb beside her.

 

“He didn’t know where to go.” she gave an anxious look, “It’s Kaleb Westphall.”

 

Alaric looked completely done, “Not a very good start.  Take a seat, Kaleb.”

 

“Yes sir, sorry sir.” he rushed in, avoiding the glares from several of the class.

 

Rebekah leant back and gossiped to her friend Dana, laughing, and Kaleb slid into one of the empty seats next to Jeremy’s, the other one belonging to Kol.

 

“Bloody brilliant.” he muttered under his breath, getting his pencil out.

 

He inhaled shallowly, looking mortified.

 

Jeremy arched an eyebrow, ignoring Alaric’s teachings, “Are you okay, man?”

 

“I’m… I’m fine.” Kaleb’s breaths came in ragged gasps, betraying his words.

 

Jeremy shook his head, “No, you’re not.  Are you-- You’re having a panic attack.”

 

As soon as he said those words, the lights went out, and Kaleb looked up, eyes blown wide in fear, “I-I didn’t mean to…” he got up to his feet, grabbing his bag, “I can’t…” he darted out.

 

“I’ll go check on him.” Jeremy said as he followed after.

 

Alaric considered stopping him, but then noticed his computer screen.  The whole thing had cracked in an instant of Kaleb’s panic.

 

The warlock ran to the men’s toilets only to crash to the ground, finding it difficult to breathe.  Jeremy followed into the room with him, kneeling beside him.

 

“Dude, what… what can I do?” he touched Kaleb’s back, “Do you want me to call D?”

 

Kaleb shook his head frantically, “T-Too dangerous…”

 

“Dangerous?” Jeremy arched an eyebrow.

 

Kaleb coughed and choked for breath, “I can’t… Something happened here…”

 

“I don’t…”

 

The other boy looked up, teary-eyed, “I sense things.  Magic.  And something happened.  And it’s still happening.”  
  


“Who’s it happening to?” asked Jeremy, concerned, “What’s happening?”

 

Kaleb replied with one syllable, “Kol.” then fell to the side, unconscious.

 

\--

 

Kol’s eyes flickered open, and he groaned.  It hurt to move.  He couldn’t turn his head and his wrists were burning.

 

“Kol.” Jane-Anne gave a positively psychotic grin, “You’re awake.  We can begin.”

 

Sophie was in the corner, murmuring under her breath, some kind of stone in her hand.

 

“You’re probably very confused.” she grabbed him by his jaw, “But soon, everything is going to become clear.  You see, my darling sister has taken your blood, and now, everyone of your line is linked to you.  They’ll feel whatever pain you do, and trust me, you’re going to feel a lot of pain.”

 

She rose her hand, revealing a dagger in her hand, then shoved it hard into Kol’s gut, making him cry out in pain.  He could tell by the stinging that the blade was drenched in vervain.

 

“We’re going to have so much fun.” snarled the witch in front of him.

 

\--

 

Rebekah sat reading over her notes in Alaric’s class when a sudden pain stabbed through her.  She cried out, clutching her stomach, then fell out of her seat, flopping like a fish.

 

“Bekah?” Josh rushed to her, hoisting her up, then seeing a bloody mark on her stomach, “Oh, my God.”

 

The rest of the class flocked around as Ric rushed over, “Is she okay?”

 

“Guhhh…” Rebekah gasped.

 

The door burst open, and Jeremy cried, “Somebody call an ambulance!  Kaleb’s passed out!”

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Elijah and Hayley were walking through the gardens surrounding the Mikaelson house, holding hands.  Her head rested against his shoulder, and he smiled.  They both enjoyed the gardens, it was the mix of wild and homely that satiated their inner needs.

 

“Elijah?” Hayley asked.

 

“Mm?”

 

She turned towards him, “Is Kol alright?”

 

“We are having a lovely little walk and you wish to bring up my little brother?” he sighed, “He’s alright, although I still don’t really understand why he was so upset last night, except for Finn’s horrific behaviour towards him.” he looked sad for a second, “He doesn’t tell me things anymore, I mean, he doesn’t think I’ve noticed the way he looks at the Gilbert boy.”

 

Hayley met his eyes, “So you know?  About Kol’s… preferences?”

 

“I’ve spent one thousand years with him, Hayley.” Elijah explained, gently stroking his thumb over her knuckles, “I’m surprised Niklaus hasn’t noticed.  Finn’s rather dim.  Kol can love whomever he wants to, in my opinion.  As long as he’s happy, he has my support.”  
  


Hayley smiled, “You’re a good brother.”  
  


“I haven’t been in the past.” he looked down briefly in shame, “But I intend to make it up to him.”

 

She cupped his cheek and leant in, kissing him gently, “You know I love you, right?”

 

“Of course.” Elijah rested his forehead against hers, “And I you.”

 

She went in for another kiss but was stopped when he cried out in pain, falling to his knees, blood staining his white shirt.

 

“Oh, God, Elijah!” she rushed beside him, stroking his hair, “What’s happening?”

 

Elijah shook his head, “I don’t know… It’s like-- argh!  It’s like someone’s trying to torture me!”  
  


His hand set alight, and he screamed in pain, clutching it close whilst Hayley gasped, not knowing what to do.

 

\--

 

“This daylight ring thing makes you really strong.” Jane-Anne stated as she peered at the circlet in the sunlight as it peeked through the curtains, light hitting Kol’s hand, sizzling it, “What happens if I do this?” she threw the curtains open, and Kol screeched in agony.

 

\--

 

“Finn?” Sage wept as he writhed in pain, his whole body starting to burn, “Oh, Finn… what’s happening?”

 

\--

Klaus was stumbling as vervain worked it’s way through his system, thankfully protected from the sun by his werewolf side.

 

He staggered into the ER, finding himself running over to Jeremy Gilbert, “Where the bloody… ughh… where’s my brother?”

 

Jeremy shrugged, holding Davina who was wracked with worry, “I don’t know… Dude, are you okay?  You look…  Oh, God.” he turned to his companion beside him, “D, are there any blood linking spells?”

 

“Huh?” she rubbed her temples, “Yeah, a few.” she raised her head, “You think that’s what’s happening, don’t you?”

 

He chewed his lower lip, “Possibly.”

 

Josh came through with a drink, and handed Davina it, “A linking spell?”

 

“Ugh… bloody…” Klaus fell on his side gracelessly.

 

Davina got to her feet, “Kaleb said to me he’s got this ability… if someone’s using the darker magics, he’ll sense it.  Kol’s gone missing.”

 

“What witches would want to hurt the Mikaelsons?” Josh asked, already knowing the answer.

 

Davina swallowed, “The Deverauxes.”

 

\--

 

Kai groaned when a group of teenagers crashed into his shop, raising his head off the counter, “We’re clo--” he stopped when he saw Davina, “Oh, hey, Little D.  Shouldn’t you be in--”

 

“No time to chat, we need a locator spell, and quick.” she interjected.

 

He held up his hands, “Okay, Missus Woman-On-A-Mission, what’s wrong?”

 

“It’s kinda hard to explain…”

 

Jeremy sighed, “Sophie and Jane-Anne have kidnapped Kol, and have linked him with his family and are torturing him, probably even trying to kill him.”  
  


“Why do trouble and Kol Mikaelson go together like chalk and cheese, which don’t really go together if you think about it?” Kai huffed, “Okay, I’ll do it, but what’ll you do when you get there?  Fight them off with your bare hands?”

 

Josh corrected, “Bare fangs.”

 

“They’re witches.  They’ll give you an aneurysm quicker than than you can say Lady Gaga.” Kai crossed his arms, “I’ll go with you and be siphon boy to the rescue.”  
  


Davina leapt forward and pulled him into a hug, “Thank you so much, Kai!”

 

“Okay… less of the hugging, please.” Kai groaned.

 

Jeremy suddenly pulled something out of his bag, something that shocked everyone else present.  A .45 pistol.

 

“What?” he looked around, “I stole it from Alaric.  Wooden bullets.”  
  


Josh asked, “Do you even know how to use that thing?”

  
“Do you want me to demonstrate?” Jeremy challenged.

 

Josh shook his head, “Not really.”

 

“Right!” Kai inhaled, “Tracker spell.  You know this would work best if I had something of his.”

 

Josh rolled his eyes, “Dude, you’re, like, the leader of an entire coven, and there’s a thing called channeling.”

 

“I know.” Kai defended, “But I’m not my best when Bonnie isn’t here..”  
  


Jeremy growled, “Just do the spell.”

 

Kai started muttering the spell under his breath, grabbing a knife and stabbing himself in the palm with it.  Josh looked away, fighting the need to feed.

 

After a few minutes, Kai sighed, “They have him in their basement, and they tried to use a cloaking spell.  Sadly, their cloaking spells aren’t like my siphoning skills.”

 

\--

 

Kol groaned as he bled out, his vision becoming bleak, tears of pain rolling down his cheek alongside sweat.

 

“Aw.” Jane-Anne caressed his cheek, “Are you in pain?”

 

He whimpered, “Stop this.”

 

“Why?” she frowned, “You didn’t stop your brother.”  
  


He raggedly sobbed, “Your daughter was psychotic.”

 

“She was a child.” Jane-Anne hissed, “And your brother murdered her.”  
  


Kol whined, “I’m sorry, I truly am.”

 

“No, you’re not.” she twisted the knife in his gut, making him cry out, “I’m going to go join my sister to dine, then I’m going to continue this.”

 

She laughed, then walked off upstairs.  Kol slumped in his restraints -- he was going to die.  He could feel terror racing through him and felt pathetic at being unable to fight.

 

Suddenly, Kai, Davina, Josh and Jeremy -- _Jeremy_  -- appeared out of nowhere, having used Kai’s cloaking ability.

 

Jeremy rushed forward, touching his cheek, “Kol…” he whispered, and when he tried to touch the restraints, his hand burned, “Ah!”

 

“They’re… they’re enchanted.” Kol found it hard to communicate with the bubble of joy -- or maybe it was in blood -- in his throat.

 

Kai sighed, “I guess this is where I come in then.”

 

“Indeed.” Sophie’s voice called, and Kai was suddenly flung to the other side of the room, his head cracking against the table, knocking him out.

 

Davina turned around, gasping in horror, and attempted to use a spell, but found herself suddenly in the grip of Jane-Anne, who had been using the same trick Kai had been using.  Josh snarled, but was suddenly floored by the ache in his head sent by Sophie.

 

Jeremy stood up, aiming his gun shakily.

 

“Awh, that’s adorable.” Sophie mocked, standing in front of Jeremy, “Go on, shoot me, little boy.”

 

His hand trembled, and the weapon was torn away by the witch, who then aimed it at Kol, pulling the trigger thrice, making him scream each time.

 

“I’m happy you’re here for your boyfriend, Jeremy.” she pushed the human down to his knees and aimed the gun at his forehead, “Because you’re partly responsible too.  But I think my sister should have the pleasure of killing you.”

 

Jane-Anne threw Davina down beside Joshua, seeing her feebly attempt to comfort him as he writhed in pain.  Jane-Anne took the pistol off her sister and aimed it at Jeremy’s forehead.

 

“You know, before, I wouldn’tve condoned this sort of thing.” she hissed whilst Sophie focused on Josh, not noticing Davina crawl to Kai, mumbling for him to ‘wake up’, “I thought it was immoral.  Then I lost my child.  Do you know what it’s like, having a part of your heart ripped away by things as primal as vampires?  It’s like dying.  Wait, no.  Dying’s more relieving.  I wanted to be the one dead.  She was sixteen years old.”

 

Jeremy sighed, “I understand that, but what she was doing wasn’t right?”

 

“So she deserved to die?” she raised her voice shrilly, “Nobody has the power to decide that.  Nobody should.”  
  


Josh groaned through his pain, “Sounds like you’re deciding we deserve to die.”

 

Jane-Anne turned, shooting him through the chest, the bullet narrowly missing his heart, revelling in Davina’s shriek, “I’m not talking to you, you have nothing to do with this.”  
  


She pulled the barely conscious Josh into his lap, stroking his cheek, “Stay with me, okay?”

 

“You see, I’m the bad guy in this.” Jane-Anne pointed the gun back at Jeremy, “I’m apparently the bad guy because I want vengeance.”  
  


Kol grunted, “Leave him alone, or I’ll kill you myself.”

 

“You can’t do much right now, you’re a bit tied up.” Sophie snarked, then looked around, “Wait.  Jane-Anne, where’s Kai?”

 

Jane-Anne let her hand drop by her side for a second, then a knife came stabbing through her torso, blood spurting onto Jeremy’s face as he stood up, backing away.  Sophie cried out in horror, releasing Josh from her hold as she rushed over to Jane-Anne.  Suddenly, a hand gripped her neck, draining her of her energy and magic until she fell unconscious beside her bleeding out sister.

 

Kai appeared, blood on his forehead and his hands as he dropped his knife, staring at the stain on his skin.  Memories flooded him, and he shuddered.

 

“Kai!” Kol called, “Free me, and I can heal her.”  
  


Jeremy looked at him, “Heal her?”

 

“Klaus will kill him if she dies.  Davina, break that… that stone.” he groaned.

 

Davina turned, grabbing the stone, and chucked it hard against the wall, seeing it shatter, then held Josh closer.

 

“Kai, siphon the magic…” Jeremy pleaded, and when he saw the trance Kai was in, he sighed, “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta snap you out of this.”

 

As hard as possible, he rifled his fist into Kai’s face, shocking him out of it, pain ebbing on his knuckles and Kai’s cheek.  Kai blinked and rushed to Kol, draining the magic from his restraints and pulling him free.

 

Kol fell beside Jane-Anne’s body and bit into his wrist, placing it against her mouth and allowing her to drink from him.  When she healed, he banged her head against the floor, knocking her out cold.

 

Jeremy rushed to him, wrapping his arms around him but pulling back when he winced.  The human blushed slightly, and in a heated moment, leant forward and gently, briefly kissed him.

 

When he pulled away, they avoided eye contact whilst Kai pulled out his cellphone, calling the other, healing Mikaelsons.

 

\--

 

A few days later, and it was time for the execution of Jane-Anne and Sophie.  Kol, this time, decided to sit out and hang out at the gazebo in the garden.  He was glad with the knowledge that everybody was now safe (except for the unsolved case of Lexi’s murder), and was just a bit tired.

 

He had seen Davina with Kaleb, who was now, thankfully, out of hospital, and hadn’t really spoken to any of his siblings.  He and Jeremy hadn’t really spoken since that day, but he was kind of thankful, as it would’ve been awkward.

 

Kol sat with his knees drawn up to his chest in the gazebo, hearing the whoops and cheers as Sophie and Jane-Anne were eradicated from the world, and sighed.

 

He had gotten them killed.  Ever since Kol had awoken in 2011, he had changed so much, he had grown weary of the world.  He didn’t even want to murder anymore.

 

He rested his head back against the bars, closing his eyes and listening to the silence, enjoying it.  Suddenly, footsteps interrupted the silence, and there was a voice.

 

“Mind if I join?” Kol opened his eyes and saw Jeremy.

 

He nodded, trying not to look as nervous as he did, “S-Sure.”

 

Jeremy groaned as he sat beside Kol, “So, how have you been?”

 

“So-so.  Healing.” he heaved a sigh, “Yourself?”

 

Jeremy nodded, “Same.”

 

“Well, this is awkward.” Kol fiddled with his fingers.

 

Jeremy nodded, “Yup.”

 

“I kissed you.” Kol stated.

 

Jeremy added, “And I kissed you.”

 

“So what do we do about this?” the vampire asked.

 

Jeremy turned so they could face each other, “Well, I know what I wanna do.”

 

“What?” Kol questioned.

 

The human shifted until he was on his knees, then gently inched forward until his lips met Kol’s.  His eyes fluttered shut, and Kol shifted into a more comfortable position, hand touching Jeremy’s cheek softly, gently pushing the human down onto the decking, until they were lying flush with each other, lips still moving against each other.

  
Jeremy’s phone buzzed, and Kol pulled away slightly, laughing.  The human brushed away a strand of Kol’s hair that fell slightly in front of his face, then retrieved his cellphone, glaring at the words.

 

“Elena’s worrying about me.” Jeremy rolled his eyes, “I’ve been gone two minutes.  I gotta.”

  
Kol rolled off him, landing gracelessly on his back, “Yeah, yeah.”

 

“But I’ll see you tomorrow.  And text you tonight.” Jeremy pecked his lips, then stood up to go.

 

“Hey, Jer, mate?”

 

Jeremy turned back, “Yeah?”

 

“D-Does this mean we’re a couple?” Kol asked, raising up on his elbows.

 

Jeremy winked, “If you want.” then walked away.

 

Kol laughed aloud, lying back down as he stared at the white ceiling of the gazebo, unable to help the warm feeling in his chest.

 

Finally, everything was going okay.

 

 


	9. Chapter Eight: I Need A Little Room To Breathe

Two days following the execution of the last of the Deveraux clan, Kol finally found himself able to face studying.  He hated the very prospect of having to read over something for a test, but knew that he had to attempt to remain on his siblings’ good sides.

 

He still hadn’t spoken to any of his siblings much since he was attacked, and most of them had lived with that.  Elijah was still annoyingly overprotective, and tried to quell Kol’s silence whenever he could.

 

The youngest male Original, however, wasn’t having any of it, and spent most of his time with Jeremy or his friends.  He and the young human were trying as hard as they could to keep their relationship a secret, and were so far, doing well.

 

“Okay, so the Civil War was between 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South of America.” Kol read out his own messy handwriting whilst Jeremy laid on his bed with him.

 

It was a tight fit on the single bed, and Kol was close to falling off but they were making it work as they read his notes.

 

Jeremy pecked his cheek, remarking, “I’m so bored.”

 

“Jeremy Gilbert, we have a test next Monday, a test that I have to get at least a ‘D’ on to avoid getting grounded for the next possible century.” Kol shuffled slightly, “We need to study.”  
  


The human pouted, “Kooool…” he started to press kisses over Kol’s throat, feeling the Original lean into the touches.

 

“Oh, fine.” Kol chucked his notes onto the floor and turned to Jeremy, pressing their lips together.

 

Within moments, Jeremy found himself leaning over Kol, both still clothed as they made out, moans of appreciation leaving both of their mouths as they moved against each other.  Kol’s hand roamed under Jeremy’s shirt, and the younger briefly pulled away so he could pull it off.

 

“Are your siblings in?” Jeremy asked as he began to suck quick-healing marks into Kol’s neck.

 

The Original arched up, stammering, “We’re doing this and-- fuck -- and you want to talk about my family?”

 

“Just in case we get disturbed.” Jeremy grinned as he ran his hand down Kol’s body to palm him through his jeans.

 

Kol let out a breathy moan as he fought for coherent thought, “W-Well, Elijah’s went out on a date with Hayley and… and Rebekah’s out shopping… Nik’s with the… the hybrids in the woods, I think, and Finn said that he and Sage were going out to the library…”

 

“What about Nadia?” Jeremy asked as he moved back, letting Kol sit up so he could remove his shirt.

 

Kol let out a laugh as he threw away the material, “She doesn’t faze me.  I’ll just kill her if she tries to say anything.  She wouldn’t be missed.”

 

He leant forward and sucked a mark onto Jeremy’s collarbone, and the human let his head fall back slightly.  Kol’s eyes then flickered to the ladder of scars on Jeremy’s wrists, and he frowned.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Jeremy breathed, “I’m trying to stop.” he leant forward and pressed a kiss to Kol’s forehead, “You?”

 

Kol shrugged, “The other day, I did it, but other than that, I’ve been a lot happier.”

 

“That’s good.” Jeremy smiled, “Now kiss me.”

 

Kol complied, finding himself pushed back down onto the bed as the human rocked against him, both of their bodies seeking friction.

 

Suddenly, a sound distracted Kol -- Elijah’s car coming the drive.  He cursed loudly, then grabbed their shirts.

  
“It’s my brother’s car.” Kol sighed, extremely ticked off.

 

Jeremy pulled on his shirt, seeing Kol do the same.  Elijah entered the house noisily, he and Hayley chatting monotonous drivel as he ascended the stairs.  By the time he reached Kol’s room, both boys had managed to calm their arousal, and Jeremy had hopped off the bed to sit on the beanbag.

 

Kol looked up at his brother, who’s face had a serious expression upon it, “You okay, ‘Lijah?  Thought you and Hayley were going out on a date.” he remarked as he flicked through his notes.

 

“Kol, close your book.” Elijah’s voice was flat.

 

Kol shut it, looking up, “Oh, no… what’s happened?”

 

“It’s your friend Anna from school.” Elijah explained, sitting on the end of the bed to rest a hand on his brother’s back, “She was found staked in the local park.”

 

Kol and Jeremy exchanged looks, and Jeremy gasped, cupping his mouth, “Oh, my God…”  
  


“Sh-She’s dead?” Kol pulled himself into a sitting position, a solemn look on his face.

 

Elijah huffed, “Jeremy, you should go home.  Niklaus is issuing a curfew for everyone aware of supernaturals and the latter, and you don’t want to worry them.”

 

“Sure.” Jeremy packed his things into his bag and got up, “Text me later, Kol.”

 

He gave the other teenager a quick hug before leaving, Elijah arching his eyebrow briefly as he did.

 

When Jeremy left, Kol turned and buried his face in Elijah’s shoulder, muffling a sigh.  Elijah rubbed circles into Kol’s back with his thumb.  After a quick minute, Kol pulled away.

 

Heartbreakingly, he croaked, “I can’t believe this is happening.” before releasing a shuddering exhale, rubbing his eyes, which were almost painfully dry -- he wanted to cry, to mourn the vampire girl who had lost her life, but he didn’t deserve the right -- they were hardly friends, so that pleasure of grief would have to go to her mother.

 

“We’ll sort this.” Elijah swore, “I promise, brother.”  
  


Kol drew his knees up to his chest, “Never let it be said that you always live by your promises.  You say you always keep your word, but most of the time never do.  Like the times you’ve promised to protect us, or did that not include myself and Finn?” he saw the dip of Elijah’s head, and his heart sunk in regret, “I’m sorry, Elijah, that was harsh.”

 

“No, no.” Elijah waved it off, but deep inside, Kol’s words had stung like the sharpest of blades, especially the sheer truthfulness of them, “It’s fine.”

 

Kol shook his head, resting his hand on top of his elder brother’s, “No, it isn’t.  I was angry, forgive me.”

 

“You are forgiven.” Elijah murmured, not even sharing a glance with Kol.

 

Kol sighed in frustration, getting to his feet and raising his voice, “Oh, bloody hell, Elijah!  You wonder why I don’t associate with you lot?  You never tell me anything!  I’m always left out in the cold and I’m sick of it.  If I offend you, you bloody tell me, otherwise I’m going to get a hell of alot worse.”

 

After a pause, a taken aback Elijah asked, “Are you quite done?”

 

“Bloody hell.” Kol rolled his eyes.

 

The door opened, and Hayley peeked her head through, “Am I, er, interrupting anything?”

 

“Nothing at all, Hayley, my love.” Elijah replied, smiling.

 

Kol crossed his arms over his chest, “Fucking hell… Just come in, then.”

 

“Okay…” Hayley obliged, “Finn texted, by the way.  He’s not very good at it, but from what I understand, he’s coming home from the library, he’s picked up an encyclopedia on Vanessa, no wait… on vampiric nature, about the movies made about you guys’ species.”  
  


Kol paced slightly, “Brilliant for him, but why do I not really care?”

 

“Kol!” Elijah chastised, appalled.

 

Kol sat back down on his bed, awkwardly squatted beside his brother, “Um, can you go now please?  This is my room.”

 

“What’re you going to do in here on your own exactly?” Elijah asked, a smirk twitching his lip.

 

Kol groaned, “You are disgusting.  I thought you were the sophisticated one of the family.”

 

“You’re right.” Elijah got to his feet, an arm wrapping around Hayley’s waist, “You’ve got Jeremy for that now.” he and his lover left after that sentence, leaving Kol in a daze of shock.

 

After he remembered the ability to move, Kol fiddled for his mobile, texting the only person he thought he could trust with the impossible knowledge.

 

Elijah knew.

 

\--

 

Josh Rosza hated Sundays.  He wasn’t really sure why, but his theory was that it was something to do with his lively club kid attitude.  Sunday was just a day for lazing about, and it was so boring, with the exception of the moments he laid with Aiden and everything just became full of life again.  He couldn’t explain it, but around his wolf, he felt alive again.

 

“You’ve got your thinking face on.” his boyfriend’s voice uttered from where his face was buried in the vampire’s stomach.

 

Josh sighed, “It’s fine, just got stuff on my mind.”

 

“Like what?” Aiden asked as he kissed a path up Josh’s body, watching him vibrate with unapologetic affection.

 

The vampire arched into the kisses, eyes shutting slightly, “You kissing me right now.”

 

“Well, if you want me to.” Aiden stretched over him like a kitten and pecked his lips, “I can oblige.”

 

Josh moaned into a longer lasting kiss, fingers digging into Aiden’s bare flesh, almost hard enough to hurt, but that was the one thing he could never do.  He could never hurt Aiden.

 

Soon enough, Josh found himself trapped beneath the wolf, arching up as he sucked marks expertly onto the column of his throat.

 

When his phone ‘bing’ed, he barely even registered it, but Aiden did, pulling away from his neck, grinning.

 

“Sounds like somebody wants you just as much as I do.” he murmured, then retrieved the phone from the bedside table and clambering off Josh.

 

The vampire groaned, opening his messages, “Oh.” he gulped, “Well, Kol’s inner bisexuality was revealed to Elijah and… holy shit… ” his voice dropped slightly, cracking, “One of our friends, Anna was found dead.  Oh… Oh no…”  
  


“Oh, my God…” almost instantly, Aiden got into protective boyfriend mode, pulling Josh into his arms, thumb stroking over his shoulder, “I’m so sorry, Josh.” he pressed his lips to the vampire’s forehead, and Josh turned off his mobile so that he could hug into Aiden without distractions.

 

\--

 

Kol continued to text Josh frantically, asking ‘how do I deal with the fact Elijah knows?’ and ‘please answer me’, but wasn’t getting a reply any time soon, so threw his phone against the wall, his unneeded breaths coming in large gulps, chest having the feeling of tightening.  He tried to cry out for Elijah, but the words wouldn’t come.

 

At first, Kol thought it was a spell, some form of witchery that had been cursed upon him, but after a few ragged gasps began to recognise it as some form of panic attack.  He dug his fingernails hard into his leg until he drew blood, trying to shock himself out of it.

 

“I’m over one thousand years old…” he choked out in a mantra, “I shall not be a child.”  
  


He stumbled to the bathroom, surprised that he didn’t alert Elijah and Hayley, and didn’t want to guess what they were doing.  He could hear Finn enter the house, but everything was blurring, and out of both anger and confusion, he rifled his fist into the mirror, seeing the reflection staring back at him break into shards.

 

Kol picked up a shard and contemplated shoving it into his jugular, just to be still for at least a few hours.  And then there was the dark thought of stabbing Jeremy in the throat with it, just to get a taste of that glorious nectar that flowed through pulsating veins.

 

Kol gasped in pain when he realised he had stabbed himself in the stomach with the shard of mirror, then slit his wrists as deep as he possibly could, vertically.

 

“What on Earth are you doing?” Finn’s voice called from the bathroom door, and when he saw his brother stumble back from the dizzying lightheadedness, he rushed forward to catch him before he fell, “Kol?  What did you do?”

 

Kol laughed almost drunkenly, announcing, “I kissed Jeremy.  Several times.” before blackness infiltrated his vision.

 

\--

 

Lorenzo awoke to the sound of Damon’s footsteps as he paced the room.  The younger groaned -- he was lucky to have had any sleep at all.

 

“Come to bed, love.” he mumbled, reaching out for his boyfriend.

 

Damon shook his head, “Just go back to sleep, Enzo.”

 

“You know, instead of freaking out over who bloody attacked me, you could actually be showing me a bit of affection.” Enzo snapped, “It’s as if I’m a bloody kid!”

 

Damon ignored him, muttering under his breath, “Maybe it’s Katherine… she could be back in town and she hates seeing me happy.”

 

“Oh, for goodness’ sake.” Enzo grumbled, then darted in front of Damon, wrapping his arms around his neck, pulling him forward into a passionate kiss that left them both gasping for air, “That’s more like it,” he breathed, then grinned.

 

Damon tilted his head, snarking, “Shut up,” before leaning forward and kissing him again, nudging him back towards a wall in a less-than-gentle manner.

 

Well, Enzo wasn’t exactly a fan of gentle anyway.

 

Tongues battled, teeth clacking as they pressed closer to each other, groaning, the heat of skin against skin almost too much.

 

“Damon…” Enzo moaned, “We-- Ouch!”

 

His boyfriend pulled away as soon as he heard the noise and saw that Enzo had cut his shoulder off the brick in the wall.  Enzo hissed slightly, then noticed Damon’s look of shock.

 

“What?” he asked, “What is it?”

 

Damon replied, thumb stroking over the wound, “You aren’t healing.”

 

All of a sudden, Sage walked through their bedroom doors, her face filled with sincerity and slight anger, “We need to talk.”  
  


“There’s a thing called privacy.” complained Enzo as he went to retrieve a shirt.

 

Her green eyes narrowed into thin slits in distaste and she quipped, “Your little three seconds long romp will have to wait until later.  I’m not here as your friend.” she retrieved a pencil from her pocket, “I’m here as your judge and jury, and if needs be…” she blurred Damon up against a wall and shoved the pencil into his jugular, whispering, “Your executioner.”

  
“Damon!” Enzo shrieked, then made a move to attack her, only to be forced to the ground by Klaus.

 

The hybrid hissed, “Trust me, mate, this is not a fight you want to pick.” he said, then nodded towards Sage, who twisted the pencil, drawing more blood, it spraying out onto her hand.

 

She growled, “Now, when I allow you to speak, answer me clearly, and with the truth only, am I clear?”

 

“Yeeess…” Damon croaked.

 

Klaus pulled Enzo into a headlock, “You understand if you lie, I’ll pop off his head like a good bottle of Chardonnay?”

 

“I… I understand…” Damon choked up blood, “Just don’t hurt him.”

 

Sage pulled out the pencil, and Damon fell to his knees, clutching the wound in his throat, blue eyes glaring up in anger at her.

  
She interrogated, “Did you or did you not murder Annabelle Zhu?”

 

\--

 

“So how long have you practiced magic?” Kai asked Kaleb as they sat together in the Magic Shop, Davina tidying her way through crystals behind them.

 

Kaleb replied, “Ever since I was a tiny lad.  Me mum and dad kinda incorporated it into our family routine.  Yourself?”

 

“I couldn’t perform natural magic, so I was a bit of a late starter.” Kai explained, “Funny how even when people hold you back you can still reach your true potential.”

 

Davina came and slid beside Kaleb, “Yeah!  So when’s Bonnie going to come home?”

 

“I don’t know.” Kai chewed his lower lip, looking up at the clock, “She should’ve been here about ten minutes ago.”

 

Kaleb shrugged, “Maybe she’s just running a bit late.”  
  


“Yeah, no need to worry.” Davina saw Kai’s scar from hitting his head a few days previous, “You should really get that checked out.”

 

Kai snapped instantly, “No.  I’m fine,” the tone of his voice making Davina jump slightly.

 

Kaleb was tempted to say something, but he had heard of this man’s reputation, and certainly didn’t want him as an enemy.  Instead, he sought out Davina’s hand under the table, his own slightly trembling.  He felt her thumb slide over his knuckles supportively and spared an anxious smile, an awkward silence falling between the three.

 

Davina had told him something about one of Kai’s sisters working in the hospital, but he hadn’t really taken heed of just how frightened he was to face her.

 

Kai’s stormy eyes filled with sorrow after a while and he sighed, “I’m sorry I snapped at you, Little D.”

 

“It’s okay.” she reassured him, “I understand.”

 

The door suddenly opened and a figure stepped through it.  Kai gave a smile of complete puppy-like happiness when he recognised the person, and his heart leapt.

 

Bonnie spoke, “So, what did I miss?”

 

Kai ran over to her, cupped her cheek and pulled her into a kiss, ignoring Davina’s giggle as she leaned into Kaleb.  When he inched away from Bonnie, they were both breathless.

 

“I missed you so much…” he whispered, and she gave a small smile.

 

\--

 

“Tyler?” Caroline’s voice chided as she knelt beside his trembling, curled up form.

 

He growled at her, then sniffed the air, recognising the scent, “C-Caroline.”

 

“It’s me.” she stroked his hair as if petting a dog, “I brought you some blood.”

 

She pulled a bag of A+ out of her satchel, ripping the top before giving it to her lover, seeing him drink from it animalistically, as if he had starved himself, the veins pumping furiously under his eyes as he gasped afterwards.

 

She gave a look of guilt, “You didn’t have to do that for me, Ty.”

 

“I’d do… a-anything for you, Caroline.” he sniffed at her neck, “M-My Caroline?”

 

She took his hand, “Yep.  Your Caroline.  And we’re going to get through this, okay?”

 

“Am I bad?” he asked, sounding like a wounded animal, the tone of his voice shattering her heart into smithereens.

 

Caroline cupped his cheeks, pressing her lips to his briefly, “You’re perfect, Tyler.  I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”  
  


“Caroline…” he whined, burying his face in her neck, snuffling for security.

 

She shuddered, the tears shining in her eyes but refusing to fall.  She had to be strong for him.

 

\--

 

“I can’t even bloody believe he is doing this, I mean, it’s just ridiculous, dating the Gilbert boy!” Finn’s ranting bore of a voice brought Kol back into reality, and he had to squint through the dimness of the room to see.

 

He groaned, “What’s going on?”

 

“You keep your mouth shut.” Finn shouted, and Kol made out Elijah’s suit-clad figure in the shadows.

 

He tried to move but found himself chained down and began to panic, frantically looking around, seeing the outer rims of a coffin, “Finn… what are you doing, what’s going on?”

 

“I’m sorry…” Elijah sounded near tears.

 

Finn smirked, “I’m not.  Until you get this disgusting idea of courting another male out of your head, you will remain here whilst I debate whether to kill Jeremy Gilbert or not.”

 

“Finn!” Elijah protested, “They are boys, they are just fooling around.”

 

The elder’s voice filled with anger as he turned to Elijah, “Unless you wish to receive the same fate as our darling brother, I’d keep your mouth shut, Elijah.”

 

“Yes, brother.” Elijah swallowed nervously, seeing Kol’s look of hurt.

 

The youngest hissed, “Of course you’d obey him.  And I thought Niklaus was the dog--” he cried out suddenly when Finn stabbed him in the stomach with something he didn’t expect to see -- the White Oak stake.

 

“Finn!” Elijah pulled it from Kol’s stomach, “You could’ve killed the boy!”

 

Finn snarled, blurring Elijah up against a wall, “It wouldn’tve mattered anyway, the boy wishes to die anyway.  He sliced his wrist and stabbed himself earlier.  That’s why I brought him down, not simply his disgusting choices.”

 

“I don’t mean to sound cliched, but it’s not a choice.” Kol inputted, “What is a choice is me asking him to shove his d--”

 

Finn cut him off by darting over and stabbing him between gaps in the chains, having taken the stake from Elijah.  The stake didn’t penetrate his heart, but it was inches away from it, and Kol could feel the burn of it, could feel it threatening him.

 

“Finn!” Elijah cried, “Please, stop!”

 

Finn snarled, “Not until he apologises.”

 

“F-Finn…” Kol choked, tears rolling down his cheeks, “I’m sorry, j-just… just stop, okay?”

 

His elder brother pulled the stake away and put it in his jacket before leaning down, “Are you going to continue meeting with Jeremy Gilbert?”

 

“N-No…” Kol looked down, sniffling.

  
Finn grabbed his chin and forced him to look up, “Excuse me?”  
  


“No, I shan’t c-court him anymore.” Kol swallowed.

 

Finn released his younger brother from the confines of his coffin, seeing him eagerly jump out, the fear of being put back in that darkness consuming.  He shivered, wiping his face but as soon as he pulled his hands away from his own head, he found himself being forcefully slapped by Finn, the strength of the blow sending him to the ground.

 

“Brother…” Elijah shuffled uneasily, “He’s learned his lesson.”

 

Finn scoffed and noted, “That’s four times nearly you have stood against me, Elijah.  Would you dare to try a fifth?”

 

“N-No, brother.” Elijah ducked his head in shame, trying to avoid Kol’s burning eyes.

 

Finn sighed, “You are dismissed whilst I deal with our brother, Elijah.”

 

Elijah nodded, then darted out of the room, leaving Kol looking up in terror at his elder brother as he loomed over him.

 

“Who’s inspiring this phase, huh?” Finn asked, and Kol backed away slightly, “Is it that Josh boy, because I could deal with him.”

 

Kol cried, “No!  No, I promise, Finn, it’s nothing to do with him, it’s just me.  It’s all me.”

 

“Well… we’ll have to deal with that, won’t we?” Finn gave a sadistic smile, retrieving a belt with metal spikes attached to it from the shelf.

 

\--

 

Elijah sighed, trying to ignore the sounds of his little brother shrieking in pain from below the house, resting his head against Hayley’s shoulder.

 

“It isn’t your fault.” Hayley murmured for comfort.

 

He heaved another great sigh, “I should’ve done something.  I should’ve stopped him.”  
  


“You’re scared of Finn too.” she cupped his cheek, “It’s okay, he’s a scary dick.”  
  


Klaus and Sage crashed into the house suddenly, the former looking quite intoxicated as he swayed, chortling.

 

“Niklaus!” Elijah chastised, “Sort yourself.”

 

The hybrid collapsed onto the sofa, “You’re no fun, Elijah.”

 

“Well, it wasn’t Damon who killed the kid.” Sage reported, “And trust me, he wouldn’tve dared to lie to me.  Where’s my lover, and what is that incessant noise?”

 

Elijah explained, “Finn found out that Kol and Jeremy are… well…”

 

“Doing the do?” Klaus asked.

 

Elijah nodded, “I told him it does not matter, Kol is happy.”

 

“Well, he isn’t right now.” Sage smirked.

 

Finn came up the stairs, dragging a bloodied, sobbing Kol with him, shoving him to the ground.  Everything in Hayley and Elijah roared at them to go help him, but they fought the urge, knowing Finn was too volatile to be trifled with at this moment in time.

 

Finn suddenly suggested, “Lets all go out, kill some energy, get a good old fashioned family meal.”

 

“Excuse me?” Klaus groaned, his hybrid abilities speeding up his sobriety.

 

Finn’s shoulders rose and fell in excess energy and he repeated, “Lets go out for a good and proper meal, us five.” he looked back at Kol, “I think he needs a few hours to reflect anyway.”

 

“Very well.” Sage stood up, linking her arm with Finn’s, avoiding gazing toward Kol.

 

Elijah nodded, “We’ll go, won’t we, Hayley?”

 

“Yeah.” she felt too intimidated to say no, Finn had reduced Kol Mikaelson to a withering, bloody heap of nothing.

 

Klaus grumbled, “Bloody ‘ell, fine!  But you’re paying.”

 

“Of course, brother.” Finn smirked, and within five minutes, Kol found himself writhing in agony, alone.

 

He somehow managed to crawl to his bedroom, grabbing his, thankfully unbroken, phone and ringing Jeremy.

 

Riiing riiiing.

 

Riiiing riii-

 

“Hey, Kol.” Jeremy’s voice was low and gorgeous, but Kol couldn’t let himself focus on that.

 

He replied, “Hey, Jeremy… we need to talk.”

 

“Yeah, we do.” Jeremy chuckled lightly, “We got pretty hot and heavy there today and we should probably not rush things.  I hear it doesn’t do well for couples.”

 

Kol forgot what he was going to say and smiled, “Really?  Didn’t seem like either of us wanted to slow down today.”

 

There was an awkward pause, “Kol, I gotta go…  Elena’s really worried about me, and is treating me like a goddamned inmate…”

 

“I am not!” Elena’s voice complained, and Kol drew his knees up to his chest.

 

Jeremy sighed, “Anyway, gotta go, see you whenever.”  
  


“Yeah.” Kol swallowed, “S-See you…” then he heard the click of the ringtone.  He was silent for a few seconds, then swore under his breath, realising how much he had cocked up.

 

He should’ve broken up with him.  Now both of them were in trouble, and it was all his fault.

 

He closed his eyes, then overheard a conversation going on in the kitchen.

 

*

 

“Nadia, you have to stick to the plan.” it was Katherine’s voice speaking, “I seduce the sister, you seduce Klaus.”

 

Nadia replied, “I know, mother, but it is rather difficult to get anything done around here what with the other siblings.”

 

“We’re trying to bring down a group of thousand year old vampires.” Katherine stated, “Nobody said it was going to be easy.  Do you know where he keeps the daggers?”

 

The younger replied, “Yes, I do.  Are you in contact with the witch?”

 

“Don’t worry, L will have no problem with this, she knows one of the Mikaelsons are friends with the one person she hates most in the world.”

 

“And who is that, exactly?” asked Nadia.

 

Katherine replied, “Her brother.  Malachai Parker.”  
  


*

 

Kol gasped, curling up slightly.  Katherine was using his sister.  It wasn’t exactly surprising, but he knew Rebekah would be crushed as she had people forever abusing her love.

 

And by ‘the witch’, Kol knew instantly what Katherine meant.

 

Liv Parker was in town again.

 

 


	10. Chapter Nine - Ripped At Every Edge

Sunlight peeked through Kol’s curtains as he sat in the corner of his bedroom, back pressed against a wall, unable to sleep through the entire night.  Part of him wanted to text Kai, but he knew he would send him into a panic if he told him Liv was in town.

 

He also was wrestling with the decision whether or not to tell his family of Katherine and Nadia’s treachery.  Honestly, he felt like an idiot for not working out they were related, they did look so similar after all.  Rebekah would be crushed, yet another love of hers had betrayed her.

 

He had heard his family arrive home around 2AM, before they retired to their rooms, sans Niklaus, who was doing a one-man wine-tasting session.

 

Kol knew he had quite the dilemma to work himself through, and his mind was riddled with panic at the idea of any of his friends getting hurt, or even worse,  _ Jeremy.   _ His mind was addled when he tried to think why he was so concerned over people who would’ve been meaningless a hundred years previous, who hadn’t even been born then.

 

Kol didn’t do friends, and he didn’t do love.  It had been that way for a thousand years so why was he changing, why was he becoming a lovelorn idiot?

 

There was a shuffling from Elijah’s room as he got up, and Kol overheard him mumbling soft words of endearment to Hayley.  Sometimes, the younger brother wondered if Elijah slept in a suit, but as he heard the elder getting dressed, that idea was mostly debunked.

 

He drew his knees up to his chest, seeking an earbud, having sat in utter silence for about two hours, not even noticing it had fell out.  He put the earphone in, letting himself drown in the calm serenity of manic screaming.

 

There was a blip, and he looked at his phone to see he had received a morning text from his boyfriend.

 

**Jeremy Gilbert:** _ Morning bby xx _

 

Kol couldn’t help the smile that forced onto his lips, but had to fade when Elijah knocked on the door, peeking his head around it.

 

“Yes, you can come in.” Kol muttered, rolling his eyes as he pulled out his earphones and put his mobile in his jacket pocket, “What do you want?”

 

Elijah arched an eyebrow, “Well somebody’s in a mood.” he inhaled, “I was coming to wake you up for school.  Have you even slept?”

 

“Wasn’t exactly on my priority list.” Kol sighed, “And I’m in a mood because I received a beating for no reason whatsoever yesterday.”

 

Elijah looked uncomfortable for a second, “W-Well… can we try and get past that?  It’s a new day.  Do you want to go to school, or are you too tired?”

 

“I’m a vampire, Lijah.  I’m perfectly capable of surviving without sleep.  Plus after spending over two hundred and something years in a box, I’ve had my fix of slumber.” he shifted, “Now can you get the fuck out of my room so I can get changed?”

 

Elijah nodded, then swiftly left the room, knowing the real reason Kol was so unkeen to stay at home -- Finn scared the living shit out of him.

 

When Elijah’s footsteps reached the end of the corridor, Kol pulled off his shirt, assessing the damage left by Finn.  Most of his skin had started to heal, with the exception of the wound left in his chest from the White Oak stake.

 

Kol sighed, knowing he would probably have to feed before that started to heal.  His mind clung on to the six words that he wished he never had to think about.

 

Finn had tried to kill him.

 

His own brother had tried to end his life, and God, that hurt.  He wasn’t sure why, but the thought that one of his own family hated him that much.  Always and forever indeed.

 

He changed into a long sleeved shirt and black jeans, then looked back in the mirror.  His smile looked forced, and he had tears pricking the corners of his eyes, but he forced himself into a more relaxed position, his chest aching slightly.

 

“You can do this.” he muttered, “You’re Kol bloody Mikaelson, of course you can.”

 

His mouth twitched into a lazy half-smirk, and he turned away from the mirror.

 

\--

 

When Jeremy entered the school, he saw Kol chatting with Kaleb, throwing his head back and laughing at an unheard joke.  Josh and Davina hadn’t arrived yet seemingly, and Jeremy felt something twitch inside him.

 

Jealousy.

 

Kol looked up, locking eyes with his boyfriend, a quick flash of something close to dread in his eyes before he smiled, “Jeremy, love!” he greeted, pulling out a seat beside himself, “Morning!”   
  


“Yeah.” Kaleb gave an exhausted yawn, seeing Jeremy sit beside Kol, “Mornin’.”

 

Jeremy gave a nod of acknowledgement in Kaleb’s direction and pressed a kiss against Kol’s cheek, feeling him slightly stiffen.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking Kol’s hand under the table, “God, you’re freezing!”

 

Kol forced an awkward smile, “I’m… I’m fine.” he pulled away from Jeremy.

 

Davina and Josh finally arrived, both looking flustered, Josh from Aiden and Davina from rushing.

 

“Someone’s late.” remarked Kol as Davina sat beside Kaleb.

 

Davina frowned, “I overslept.  You guys studied for the test?”

 

“Ah.” Kol exchanged a look with Jeremy, “Well, there was studying, just not of textbooks.”

 

Josh made a face, “Way too much information, dude.”   
  


“Shit, we’ve got a test today?” Kaleb’s eyes flashed with panic, “Oh, but I didn’t study… I didn’t…” his breathing came to him in gasps.

 

Davina took his hands in her own, “Kaleb… hey… shh… it’s okay, you’re new, you started literally last week, they’ll cut you a break.”   
  


“Or I could cut them.” Kol suggested, “Anyway, can’t you Harry Potter a cheat sheet?”

 

Josh rolled his eyes, “Not helping, dude.”   
  


“What, like you’ve never done it?” Kol challenged, “Come on, club boy, you saying you ain’t ever cheated a test?”   
  


Kaleb explained between gulps for air, seeing some of the supernaturals look over, “It’s not an option, my folks know each and… and every spell I do.  They ask me each day, and they know if I’m… if I’m lying.”   
  


“We could speak to Ric, I’m sure he’ll do us a favour.” Jeremy leant over the table, “Dude, just breathe, you’re freaking out over nothing.  I mean, I didn’t study either.”   
  


Kaleb snapped, “Well, nobody expects you to get perfect grades anyway, you half-wit!”   
  


“Geez…” Jeremy muttered, taken aback, “Try and help a guy…”

 

Kaleb rested his head against the table, gasping for more and more air, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it…”

 

“For fuck’s sake…” Josh got up, shouting, “Can one of you brain dead idiots please get Mr. Saltzman?”

 

Kol arched an eyebrow, “Okay then…”

 

Within five minutes, Alaric came over, confused, “What’s happened now?  Holy-- is he okay?”

 

“Blatantly he’s okay and there is nothing wrong.” Kol snarked, “Thought you were a teacher.”   
  


Alaric retorted, “Give me that attitude and I’ll assign you with detention, Mikaelson brother or not.”   
  


“Kaleb…” Davina lightly run her hands through his hair, “It’s okay, you’re okay, just breathe.”   
  


Alaric asked, “What set him off?”

 

“Well, he was freaking out about the tes--” the lights above the students in the cafeteria all simultaneously blew out, a fizzing noise following.

 

Kol jumped backwards, glass almost hitting him, terror written on his face.  Kaleb was whimpering, his panic attack finally claiming his magic.

 

Davina swallowed, “Please, Kaleb… just… just follow my voice.  Come back to me.”   
  


“I-I…” Kaleb cried out and a shard of glass went straight for Davina, landing in her arm, and nearly her head if she had moved her limb.

 

She shouted in pain, and that seemed to bring him back to reality, his trembling hands immediately going to her wound, mumbled, tearful apologies leaving his lips whilst she insisted she was fine, that it wasn’t that deep.

 

“Ah, fuck it…” Alaric mumbled, “All you supernaturals… just go… go home, okay?”

 

Kol asked, “But what about those who catches buses, Mr. Saltzman?”

 

“I… I dunno… just figure something out.  You don’t catch a bus anyway.” Ric turned to Jeremy, “And tell your aunt I’m picking her up at eight, not seven.  I’m marking papers, just not you guys’ ones.”

 

Jeremy chewed his lower lip, seeing Alaric leave, “Well, that was fascinating.  So, you guys wanna hang out at the arcade or something?”

 

“Actually, I think I should take Kaleb home.” Davina replied, shrugging.

 

Kaleb frowned, “I don’t want you missing out on your social life because of me.”

 

“No, it’s fine, trust me.” Davina smiled, “See you, guys.” she took Kaleb’s hand and led him out.

 

Rebekah’s voice mocked, “Well, that was intense.” a smirk gripped her lips, “Knew you’d be friends with a headcase, Kol.”

 

“Don’t call him that.” Kol growled, turning to his sister.

 

She concluded, “Well, I guess you needed a crowd to fit in.”

 

“I will punch you in the stomach so hard that your silicone fill-ins will exit your mouth if you don’t shut the bloody hell up, Barbie.” Kol narrowed her eyes.

  
Rebekah gave a small, teasing laugh, “Kol Mikaelson sticking up for somebody other than himself, I never thought I would see the day.” she tilted her head, “Besides, if you do anything to harm me, I’ll tell Finn you’re still seeing the handsome Mr. Gilbert there.”   
  


Kol flinched, and a confused Jeremy asked, “Kol?  What does she mean?”

  
“N-Nothing.” and when Rebekah turned to go, he remarked, “What about your little girlfriend?  She’s not exactly innocent herself, and I know a few secrets about her you really wouldn’t like.”

 

Rebekah turned back, “What are you talking about?  What secrets?”

 

“And that, dear sister, is what we call an impasse.” Kol crossed his arms, “Why don’t you ask her?  I mean, she loves you so much, doesn’t she?” he pushed past her, “Come on, Jeremy, Joshua, let's go on that trip to the arcade.”

 

Jeremy queried, “What did she mean back then?  About Finn?”   
  


“It doesn’t matter.” Kol answered.

 

“Kol…”

 

The Original turned to Jeremy, “Trust me, Jer… It doesn’t matter.” he cupped his cheek, “I’m not going to let it stop us from being together.  I’ve spent an entire lifetime, well, several, defying my siblings and I’m not stopping now.”

 

“I just don’t want you getting hurt.” Jeremy’s hand rested over Kol’s on his cheek, and he leant into the touch.

 

Kol gave an uneasy smile, “I’ll be fine.” he leant forward and pressed his lips to Jeremy’s, hearing Josh’s sigh of irritation.

 

“Dudes, I get you’ve got an ‘epic love’ thing going on, and I support it like hell, but can you just get your asses moving because I really wanna go to the arcade.” he bounced on the balls of his feet in impatience.

 

Kol pulled away, “Sorry, mate.” he paused, “Wait, can we go the way through the woods?  It’s just, I don’t really fancy Finn seeing me out of school and you know, getting the wrong idea.  Especially with you two.  He’d think I’m in some weird kind of threeway.”   
  


“Ew.” Josh pulled a face, “Plus, I thought you liked breaking your brothers’ rules.”

 

Kol replied, “Not that much.”

 

\--

 

It’s your fault.

 

Kai twisted back and forth in his bed in the throes of a horrific nightmare, sweat rolling down his face.  Bonnie was trying fruitlessly to bring him out of it, his head rested in her lap as hoarse screams escaped him, the bedside candle flickering.

 

“Kai!” Bonnie pleaded as he thrashed, “Kai, stop, you’re going to hurt yourself… Just wake up, okay?  I’m here.”

 

When the stormy grey eyes of her loved one opened, all the windows flew open with them, the doors being pulled ajar.  A gasp of fear was drawn from Kai’s mouth, and he sat up.

 

“S-Something bad is happening.” he stated, swallowing.

 

Bonnie stroked his cheek, trying to soothe him, “Kai, nothing is happening, you’re okay.”

 

“I dreamt… Liv was here to take her revenge.” Kai explained, “That she was coming to kill me.”

 

Bonnie’s voice was gentle when she spoke, “It’s okay…”

 

“No, it isn’t, Bonnie!” Kai’s voice rose in volume, startling her.  He felt her jump and could practically feel her heartbeat, “I… I’m sorry.” he looked down, “I’m really, really sorry.”

 

She shook her head, “No… It’s okay.  It’s fine.”

 

“No it isn’t…” he stroked his hands up her arms, “I shouldn’tve--”   
  


She cut him off with a brief kiss, “Kai.  It’s alright.”

 

“I’m sorry.” he frowned, resting his head against hers, “I don’t want her hurting you.”

 

She cupped his cheek, “She wouldn’t hurt me.”

 

“Yes she would.” Kai inhaled, “She’d do it because I love you, and she hates anything I love.”

 

\--

 

“Enzo… I’m okay.” Damon reassured as his lover fussed over him, “She didn’t even hurt me much.”   
  


Enzo sighed, slouching, “Damon…” he cupped his cheek, “I think everything’s going wrong for us.”

 

“Hey.” Damon looked up, meeting Enzo’s eyes, “We’re going to be okay.  I know it doesn’t seem so, but we’ll pull through.  We always do.”   
  


Enzo huffed, “I’m not healing, Damon.”

 

“I’ll ask Kai.” Damon straightened, then groaned in pain when a sheet of pain shot up his back, “God…”

 

Enzo rested his forehead against Damon’s shoulder, mumbling, “What if I’m dying?”

 

“You’re not dying.” Damon forced his boyfriend to look at him, “It’s just a minor thing.  We’ll fix it, I promise.  And if I find out that Stefan did this--”

 

Enzo sighed, “You should forgive him.”   
  


“Are you insane?  No!  He is an asshole!” Damon shouted.

 

Enzo retorted, “He’s also your brother, and as somebody who’s severely lacking in the familial department, I’m advising you to not let them go.  I mean, look at the Mikaelsons.  They’re a thousand years old, they still love each other.”

 

“The Mikaelsons are dysfunctional.” Damon said, arm slipping around Enzo’s waist.

 

Enzo nodded, voice sad and soft as he asked, “Isn’t every family?”

 

After a minute of silence, the younger vampire suddenly felt a sharp, bursting pain in his gut and attempted to vamp-run, but only found himself falling forward, nausea blurring his line of sight.  He retched, the vomit coming up a dark red, the feeding force of a vampire -- blood.

 

Damon rested a hand on Enzo’s back, rubbing it, “Enzo?  Enzo!” he cried, panicking, “Oh, God, what do I do?”

 

“J-Just…” Enzo managed to stutter out only part of his sentence before falling to the side, unconscious.

 

\--

 

Jeremy, Josh and Kol were hiking their way through the woods, the couple holding hands as their feet sloshed through the muddy leaves, Jeremy’s balance significantly worse than the Original vampire’s.

 

Josh smirked, walking slightly ahead, looking back to check on them every couple of minutes to ensure they hadn’t ditched him for a romp in the woods.

 

Jeremy shrieked as he slipped, only to be caught by a laughing Kol, who buried his face in the human’s shoulder.

  
“You’re such a child, darling.” Kol teased.

 

Jeremy retorted, “Well, you shouldn’t be dating me if I’m a child,” he grinned, biting on his lower lip cheekily.

 

“Fine, you aren’t a child.” Kol said, thumb stroking over Jeremy’s knuckles, “You are my incredibly hot boyfriend.” he leant forward, pressing his lips to the humans’ own.

 

Josh rolled his eyes again.  It didn’t bother him, he had been the third wheel before, and they  _ were  _ a new couple, they were bound to be like this to begin with.  He missed Aiden, though, he missed his wolf’s arms wrapped around him, the feeling of warmth and security.

 

Marcel, his faction leader, highly disapproved of him dating someone from a werewolf clan merely because he didn’t trust them and Klaus was a power-hungry lunatic who cared more about his wolves and hybrids than his own family, or the vampire species.

 

“Joshua?” Kol asked, coming over, “You okay, mate?”

 

Kol’s voice brought the young vampire out of his musings, and he blinked, “Y-Yeah.” Josh nodded, “I’m fine.”

 

“Good, thought we’d lost you for a second there, mate.” Kol remarked.

 

Before Josh could retort, there was a creak, too quiet for Jeremy’s human ears to hear, but enough for both vampire’s heads to snap up to seek the source of the sound.   Kol stepped protectively in front of Jeremy, looking towards Josh and nodding before both vampires growled inhumanly, fangs protruding, veins pumping viciously under their reddened eyes.

 

“What’s going on?” Jeremy asked, confused.

 

Suddenly, Tyler burst through the clearing, eyes golden and glowing, snarls bursting from his chest as he looked at the three, terrified anger written on his face.

 

“Tyler?” Kol asked, narrowing his eyes, form tightening even more in a guarding stance.

 

The hybrid blurred over, grabbing Kol’s collar, then rushed him until he crashed into a tree, “You did this!”

 

“Tyler!” Kol shouted, “It’s me, Niklaus’ brother Kol! You know me!”

 

Josh grabbed a tree branch and shoved it hard into Tyler’s back, narrowly missing his heart, and when the hybrid turned around, one hand still holding Kol tightly against the tree, he felt a panic race through him.

 

“Listen, dude, I--” he was cut off when his head was snapped hard to the side, his body falling and revealing Caroline, who’s eyes were darkened by black makeup, her glare steely.

 

Caroline’s voice dripped with command as she spoke, “Let him go.”   
  


“C-Caroline…” Tyler stammered, confused, “Hurts.”

  
The blonde sighed, “I know.  But let him go before he hurts you more.”

 

“Too right I will.” Kol hissed, then broke Tyler’s arm swiftly, blurring to kick the hybrid to the ground.

 

Tyler whimpered, crawling over to Caroline, the vampire girl kneeling beside him.  Jeremy came over to Kol, hands seeking any injuries frantically, worry written on his face.

 

“I’m fine.” The Original breathed.

 

Jeremy frowned when he found his stab wound, “What happened?”

 

“It’s fine.” Kol took Jeremy’s hands between his own, meeting his eyes, “I’m fine, I swear.”   
  


Caroline snarked, “Sweet.  Almost like you guys didn’t hurt my boyfriend.”   
  


“He attacked  _ us!”  _ Kol yelled, “He attacked us, and then you snapped the neck of my mate.  If my brother hears of this--”   
  


Caroline interjected, “He’ll do what?  Compel us?  Kill us?  Take away our freedom?  He’s already done that to Tyler, forced him to obey his will through the sire bond, and now that he’s broken it--”

 

“Broken the sire bond?” Jeremy asked, confused, “Caroline, what the hell’s gotten into you?  We don’t get involved in these sort of things.”

 

The blonde stroked Tyler’s cheek, remarking, “Says the one boinking baby brother.  And if wanting the man I care about to be free from a creepy violation of his mind is wrong, then fine.  I’m wrong.  I’m just a girl, aren’t I?  I’m the stupid blonde girl who Damon Salvatore victimised and abused who should keep her mouth shut.” she looked up, fire in her eyes, “If fighting all that is wrong, then I don’t care.  I’d rather be dead than in that position again, so if helping Tyler, the man who I…” she broke off for a second, then continued, “Is wrong, then kill me.”

 

Kol crossed his arms, “You shouldn’t be doing this, Caroline.  Nik will find out.”   
  


“And Finn will find out about you and Jeremy’s little secret.” she retorted, “Please, it’s obvious.  There’s a tension between you.” she looked up at where Jeremy had found a wound on Kol’s chest, “That won’t heal until you feed on a human, by the way.”

 

Kol nodded, “I know.” after a few seconds, he exhaled, “Go.  I won’t tell Nik.”

 

“Thank you.  Much appreciated.” her voice was dripping with sincerity as she took Tyler’s hand, “Come on, Ty.”

 

When they walked past Jeremy and Kol, the human sighed, “Elena said there was something up with her.  If Elena’s noticed, Klaus probably will.”

 

“Well, that’s her problem, ain’t it?” Kol sighed, dropping to his knees beside Josh, partially from exhaustion.

 

Jeremy knelt beside him, “You okay?” he cupped the Original’s cheek.

 

“I’m fine.” Kol rested his hand on top of Jeremy’s.

 

The human sighed, “She said--”   
  


“I know what she said and what you’re thinking, and no.” Kol pulled away, “Let’s just wait until Joshua wakes up, then I guess I’ll just head home.”

 

Minutes passed, and Kol didn’t notice Jeremy pull out a hunting knife from his bag until the scent of blood filled the air.

 

“What the  _ hell  _ are you doing?” Kol practically shrieked, grabbing Jeremy’s bloodied wrist as lightly as possible.

 

Jeremy mumbled, “Drink.  You need it.”   
  


“Hell no!” Kol bit into his own wrist and put it in front of Jeremy’s face, annoyed when he stubbornly refused to move, “Jeremy, drink it for goodness’ sake.”

 

Jeremy shook his head, “You first.”

 

“I’m fine, I’m okay!  I’m a bloody vampire but you… you’re not.  You’re a human being!” Kol shouted, and he saw the fear flash in Jeremy’s eyes, “Oh God… I’m sorry.”

 

Jeremy looked down, “It’s fine… Just… please.” he threaded his fingers into Kol’s hair, gently tugging him down, “Just drink.”

 

“Jeremy… I don’t want to hurt you.” Kol admitted.

 

Jeremy smiled, “Then don’t.  Have control.”

 

Kol met eyes with the human, smirking slightly, “Jeremy Gilbert… is this a face of a lover?” his veins popped out, and he heard the hitch of the human’s breath, a sign of fear.

  
Strangely, Jeremy’s face held no fear, just a look of wonder.  Kol felt the hand in his hair run down and gently touch his cheek.

 

“You’re such an old soul.” Jeremy remarked, “You need to step into this century.  I’m not scared of you, Kol.” to enunciate his point, he leant forward, pressing his lips to the vampire’s, mindful of his fangs.

 

When he pulled away from the kiss, he was breathless, pupils blown into black disks that drowned in a thin rim from adoration, “I trust you.” he reassured, hand going back to Kol’s hair.

 

Kol nodded, lowering his head.  It took him a few seconds to work up the courage to bite, every cell in his body telling him to ‘protectJeremyprotectJeremyprotectJeremy’, the memories of his previous attempts to bite him looping in his head, reminding him that he could lose control.

 

The initial bite drew a gasp of pain out of Jeremy, and Kol considered pulling away, but as soon as the sweet nectar of Jeremy’s blood flooded his mouth, he was hooked.  A moan escaped his mouth as both of his hands came and grabbed the human’s arm, holding it still as he swallowed.

 

The warm fluid rushed down his gullet and he could feel his chest healing, but the thing that distracted him was how painfully aroused he was.  The feeling of draining the blood from Jeremy, of all people, was indescribable, the closest word that came to mind was ecstasy, his entire body trembling with excitement, the urges to either kill or fuck him right there almost too hard to fight.

  
He could smell Jeremy’s arousal too, and felt his body falling forward, landing on top of the human, knee grinding into his crotch.

 

Jeremy could feel himself getting light headed, so tugged on Kol’s hair, in warning.  When the Original didn’t move, he whimpered, his pants wet with pre-come, entire form tremouring.

 

“Kol…” he choked out, “Kol, stop.” he panted, too hot, too aroused, “K-Kol… you’re hurting me.”

 

As soon as he finished that sentence, Kol pulled away, eyes still in their vampiric visage, but a look of sorrow shining through.  His lips were stained with red, something Jeremy faintly recognised as his own blood, and within seconds, he heard Kol bite his wrist before putting it to his mouth.  Jeremy swallowed, making a face at the horrendous coppery taste, feeling his skin knit back together where he had cut it and where Kol had bitten it.

 

They sat staring at each other for the next half an hour, no words spoken, no words needed between them.

  
It was Josh who broke the silence with a faint groan as he awoke, sitting up, confused.  He rubbed his neck, which ached, then looked around, rolling his eyes when he saw Kol lying atop Jeremy.

 

“Tell me you guys didn’t screw whilst I was out.” he groaned.

  
Kol sighed, pushing himself off Jeremy, “We didn’t screw whilst you were out.”   
  


“Good.  Why don’t I believe you?” He looked around, “Where’s Tyler?”

 

Jeremy replied, “He left a while ago.”

 

“Wonderful.” Josh huffed, “I’ll phone Aiden, have him pick me up.  It’s a bit late to head to the arcade now.  I’ve gotta get to a meeting with Marcel.”

 

Kol arched an eyebrow, “Blimey, ‘ave fun, then.”

 

“You don’t like Marcel?” Jeremy asked, resting his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder.

 

Kol shook his head, wiping the blood from his mouth, “Few ‘undred years ago, little bastard got me daggered.”

 

“That sucks.” Jeremy took Kol’s hand, “I would’ve protected you.”

 

Kol laughed, “You weren’t born, love.”   
  


“I know.  If I had’ve been, I mean.” he pressed a kiss to Kol’s cheek.

 

Josh sighed, looking at his phone, “Aiden’s on his way.  Anyone want a ride?”

 

“Well, if you put it that way…” Kol grinned, and Jeremy burst out laughing whilst Josh glared, “Sorry.   Nah, we’ll be fine.”

 

Josh arched an eyebrow, “You sure?  Because we all know that you two aren’t the best at keeping time.”

 

“We’ll be fine.” Jeremy reassured.

 

\--

 

Three and a half hours later, in the Mikaelson household, Finn was pacing, looking at the clock.

 

“Where the bloody hell is he?” he roared.

 

Elijah nervously attempted to calm him, “I’m sure he will be home soon, brother… He’s probably out with his friends.”

 

“I bet he’s with that bloody boy again.” Finn shouted, “Every single time I tell that bloody boy to do something, he disobeys me.  Every bloody time!  I’ll teach him!”

 

\--

 

Rebekah was listening to Finn’s ranting and Elijah’s rambling downstairs, a feeling of utter dread in her heart.  She wasn’t used to Elijah being so nervous, or even to Finn being  _ this  _ enraged.  He sounded like he was willing to murder.

 

“It’s going to be okay…” Katherine murmured, taking her girlfriend’s hands between her own, “I’m sure he’s alright.”

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Kol and Jeremy were making out in a bathroom stall in some dive they had come across, the Original’s back pressed against the wall of it.  He felt Jeremy’s hand go for his belt, the human’s lips sucking a mark onto his throat.

 

As soon as Jeremy’s hand touched his hardness, Kol was unable to stop the helpless gasp of heady pleasure that escaped him, his own hand reaching to undo Jeremy’s jeans.  Within moments, they were rutting against each other, seeking to make the other climax.

 

One of Jeremy’s hands went to cup Kol’s ass, one finger circling his entrance, and it wasn’t long until the vampire was gone, coming over Jeremy’s stomach with a stifled cry, fingers digging into the human’s sides, leaving half moons in it’s wake.

 

It didn’t take Jeremy long to follow, muffling a moan into Kol’s shoulder.  They cleaned themselves up, exchanging quick kisses as they did so, when suddenly, something caught Jeremy’s attention.

 

“Dude…” he panted, “Your phone just lit up.”

 

Kol looked uninterested until he pulled down his notifications tab, seeing that he had eleven missed calls, eight text messages and a voice mail.

 

His texts read:

 

_ ‘Elijah Mikaelson: Get home now _

_     Where are you? _

_     Answer your phone. _

_    This isn’t funny, Kol.  Get home this instant!’ _

 

_ ‘Nik Mikaelson: I’ll kick your arse myself if you don’t get home.’ _

 

_ ‘Finn Mikaelson: Where are you? _

_   Answer your phone or face the consequences. _

_  I will kick your arse if you do not GET HOME!’ _

  
  


Kol barely had time to marvel over the fact that Finn had finally learned to text as he cursed aloud, sorting his shirt and pulling on his hoodie, not even daring to listen to the voicemail.

 

“I’ve got to go.” Kol explained.

 

Jeremy nodded, “I understand.  Is it bad?”   
  


“Yep.” Kol sighed, “How are you getting home?”   
  


Jeremy replied, “I’ll call Elena, tell her what happened.”

 

“Okay.” Kol pecked Jeremy on the lips once, then the cheek, “Bye.”

 

Jeremy smiled, “Good luck.” before he saw his boyfriend blur out of the room.

 

\--

 

Kol shuffled awkwardly into the house, unable to face the glare of Finn without ducking his head slightly.

 

He fibbed, “I had… erm… car trouble?”   
  


“You don’t own a car!” Finn yelled.

 

Kol flinched, “I-I know… b-but…”

 

“You were with Jeremy, weren’t you?” Finn stepped forward threateningly.

 

Kol shook his head, “N-No…”

 

Suddenly, Finn backhanded him, and he landed on the ground with a yelp, looking up into his brother’s mad eyes as he shouted, “Don’t lie to me, boy!  I told you!  I specifically told you not to see him and what do you do?  You disobey me!”

 

“I love him.” Kol whimpered, the confession sounding almost pathetic.

 

Finn grabbed the younger by the neck and pushed him harshly up against the wall, snapping, “You ‘love’ him?  What is more your priority, brother?  Your family or this boy you met a few weeks ago?”

 

“You’re asking me to choose?” Kol felt a lump building in his throat, as well as the urge to cry, “I can’t do that!”   
  


Finn tilted his head, growling, “Well, maybe you won’t have to if I break out the daggers.”

 

“No!” Kol shouted, kicking his brother away and landing in a heap, “I’m sick of this… I’m sick of you ruining and controlling my life!” he pushed himself to his feet, “I am not some punching bag, I am someone who matters, who has opinions and who falls in love.  I’m not you, although you want me to be.  I can’t ever see why I would want to be a pathetic mess.  You’re just sad.” Finn went to hit him, but he caught the blow in his fist, “Why are you doing this?”

 

Finn spat at him, “You think I care about you, boy?  You think anybody does?  You’re worthless!  You were better off in a box!”

 

“I hate you.” Kol pushed him away, tears welling in his eyes, “God, I just wish…” he took a few deep breaths before he snarled out, “I wish you were dead.”

 

Silence fell upon the group as Kol’s words sunk in, Finn’s expression briefly filling with hurt that eventually evolved into utter rage as he smashed his fist into the wall next to Kol’s head.

 

“You wish I was dead?” Finn growled, “Well, I’m going to make you dead.”

 

The first hit was rough and in Kol’s stomach, forcing him to double over.  The second was a fist pounding on the younger’s back, and he cried out in agony.

 

“Finn!” Elijah shouted, distracting the other long enough for Kol to blur up to his room, locking it and pushing several objects in front.

  
Finn blurred upstairs, nudging against Kol’s door, trying to knock down the objects, listening with a sickening satisfaction to the choked sobs of fear escaping his younger brother.

 

Kol curled up in the corner of his room, drawing his knees up to his chest, listening to the carnage, expecting the beating to come.

 

All of a sudden, Elijah’s voice was heard, “That’s enough, Finn.”

 

“Are you siding with him?” Finn snarled.

 

Elijah nodded, “Actually, I am.  I’m doing the one thing that I should’ve done years ago.  I’m looking after my little brother.  What you’re doing isn’t fair.  Now get out.”

 

“I’m the oldest!” Finn yelled, “I make the rules.”

 

Klaus corrected, “Actually, I do.  I’m the hybrid, I have the daggers, and I agree with Elijah.  Leave.”

 

“Fine!” Finn stormed out, followed by Sage, who had been watching the chaos.

 

\--

 

A few hours later, and it was pitch black whilst Finn and Sage walked around the lower regions of town, rain pounding down onto them.

 

“Those bloody ingrates…” Finn raved, shivering, “Kicking me out of my own home.  I should kill them.”

 

Sage agreed, “You’d have every reason to, my love.  I think they deserve--” she cut off with a choking noise.

 

“Deserve what, darling?” Finn asked, then turned around, only to recoil in horror.

 

There was a stake stabbed through Sage’s chest, her skin greying as she slid forward, revealing her attacker.  Finn realised, with terror that the stake wasn’t just an ordinary one, but the White Oak stake.

 

He looked back at his attacker, gasping, “No… You were dead… You were…”

 

The attacker silenced him by shoving the stake into his heart, Finn’s eyes widening in pain as he looked up.  Flames exploded from where he was stabbed and began to consume his body, the rain still pounding down as his attacker walked away, the stake in his hand.

 

And it was on that day, Finn Mikaelson was murdered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, hope you enjoyed that chapter. Got a question for you:
> 
> How are you enjoying this story?
> 
> Anyway, hope you had a good christmas, if you celebrate it, and I wish you all a great new year.


	11. Chapter Ten - Everything's Falling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys, I know it's been rather a while, but I've been dealing with personal issues and didn't have much muse to write. But here you go.

Several hours following the argument which culminated in Finn walking out, and Kol was still barricaded in his room.  He had heard somebody open the front door, but put in his earphones in afterwards, blocking out the sound.

 

He faintly heard a knock at his room door a few minutes later and shakily removed his headphones, worrying Finn was back.

 

“Kol…” Elijah’s voice gave him some relief, but he didn’t know why it was trembling, “Come downstairs when you’re ready.”

 

Kol heard footsteps leading away and arched an eyebrow, confused.  He got out of the corner, moving his things out of the way of the door, then opened it.

 

When he reached the living room, he took in the image of his siblings.  Klaus was perched in a seat with a solemn, yet shocked look upon his face whilst Rebekah sat with her face buried into his chest, soft sobs escaping her.  Elijah looked like he was going to break, and Kol noticed that neither Nadia nor Hayley were anywhere to be seen.

 

“What’s going on?” Kol asked.

 

Elijah approached him, resting his hands on his brother’s shoulders as he explained, “Earlier on, they found…” he swallowed, “I’m sorry… they found Finn and Sage’s bodies in the streets…”

 

“What?” Kol’s heart sunk and he suddenly felt sick, “What do you mean?”

 

Elijah frowned, “I’m sorry.  They’re both gone.” his tone was mournful as he pulled his younger brother into a hug.

 

Kol froze in the embrace, letting his earlier words flash back to him.  He had told Finn he wished he was dead.  He had wished death on his own brother.  And now?

 

He pushed away from Elijah, “You’re lying to me.” he shook his head, tears filling his eyes, “This… this is some kind of sick joke this family have made up just to haunt me and--” Elijah tried to pull him close again, and he shrieked, _“Don’t touch me!”_

 

Klaus looked up, eyes filled with sadness as he tried to get through to Kol, “I’m sorry, brother.  It’s true… Finn is… Finn’s gone.”

 

“Stop _lying_ to me!” Kol screamed, sweeping things off the table in rage the objects crashing to the ground, the sound cracking through the layer of denial slightly, “Oh, God.   It’s all my fault.”   


Elijah shook his head, “No, it isn’t brother.”  


“It is.” Kol cupped his mouth in horror, “Oh, my God… what I said…”

 

Klaus sighed, “What you said were mere words… It didn’t get him killed, don’t be silly.”

 

“Niklaus, you aren’t helping.” Elijah glared.

 

When Elijah turned back around, he saw a blur dashing out of the house, desperate to be anywhere else.

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Jeremy sat on his bed, engrossed in a novel.  He wasn’t much of a reader, but once in awhile, something could catch his attention.  It was _Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein_ that had managed to do it this time, and his attention was almost completely transfixed, sans a slight pulling feeling in his gut, something telling him that not all was right.

 

The human bit his lower lip, the cloud of his mind torn between ancient words and worry, the word _KolKolKol_ racing through him.  He peeked above his novel, mulling over whether to phone him or not.  It was probably best not to, but the niggling feeling rising in his stomach like bile made him reconsider.

  
He chucked _Frankenstein_ down onto the floor after marking the page he was on, then fumbled for his mobile, calling Kol, whom he had added to his speed dial.

 

_Ring, ring.  Ring, ring.  Riii--_

 

“Hello?” Elijah’s voice answered, thick with sincerity.

 

Jeremy swallowed back the gasp of fear threatening to escape and babbled, “Elijah… um… hey!  I was just calling to ask Kol if he managed to n-note down the chemistry… um…” he ran a hand through his hair, “Er… notes.”

 

“I don’t know where Kol is, Jeremy.” Elijah sighed, “But I’m worried for him.”

 

Jeremy sat up, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion, “Why?  What happened?” he heard a choked sob on the other side of the line, and his anxiety increased, “Elijah…. what’s wrong?”

 

“Oh…” Elijah sniffled, “F-Forgive me… it’s… it’s Finn.” he inhaled sharply, “He’s dead.”  
  
Jeremy gasped, then said sincerely “Oh, my God.  I’m so sorry.”

 

“No, no.” Elijah swallowed back the lump of grief threatening to rise, “I’ll be quite alright.  But, I’m rather relieved that you phoned, actually.  You see, Kol and Finn got into an argument before he… well… and it culminated in Kol saying that he wished Finn was dead and… and now…”

 

Jeremy rubbed at his eyes, “Is Kol there?  I’ll come over.”  


“No, that’s the thing.” Elijah barked out a humorless laugh, “I lost him.  He ran away.”

 

Jeremy’s heartbeat increased in anxiety, “Oh, God.  I’ll go out and look for him.”

 

“No, I’m sure Kol will return.  He’s clever enough to avoid trouble… unless he’s looking for it… Oh, no.  I don’t know what to do.  I’m not ready for this.” Elijah’s voice broke, “Even when Finn was daggered, he was still my big brother.”

 

Jeremy sighed, “I’ll go look for him, okay?” he opened his bedside drawer, where there were several wooden bullets and the gun he had ‘acquired’ from Ric, as well as a stake, “I’ll look after myself.  Now, you just go rest, okay?  I’ll phone you.”

 

“Of course.” Elijah obeyed, “Goodbye.”

 

Jeremy nodded, “Bye.” there was a click as Elijah hung up, and Jeremy rested his phone onto his table, reaching under his bed and grabbing another lethal weapon to take with him.

 

It was a black recurve bow, which had a small bag of vervain-tipped arrows next to it.  Jeremy acknowledged the weapons with a tiny smile that felt awful and wrong and sadistic.  He grabbed his hoodie and slung the bag over his shoulder, as well as his bow.  He tucked the gun and stake into his jeans, popping the bullets into his pocket.

 

Finally, he pulled up his hoodie, and he felt the rush of adrenaline shoot through his veins.  He opened his window and clambered out, glad he lived in a bungalow.

 

He began to run, but before he managed to climb the fence, a shrill voice caught his attention.

 

“Jeremy!” it was Elena, and Jeremy turned to see his sister and Stefan both standing looking equally unamused, “Get in.  Aunt Jenna’s out on her date and we’re babysitting you so you don’t get to go and sneak away.  And what the hell are you doing with those weapons?”

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “Elena, I really don’t have time for this right now.” he turned to try and climb the fence, but was pulled down by Stefan in the process, landing painfully on his backside.  He looked up, angered, “What the _hell?”_

 

“Listen to your sister.” Stefan said, “You’re not a hunter, and these are dangerous times.”  


Jeremy rolled his eyes, “I’m a hunter-in-training.”  


“Since when?” Elena asked, scowling.

 

Jeremy retorted, “Since I found out we live in a town with vampires.”  


“Okay, Katniss.” Stefan challenged, “Show me what you’ve got.”  


Jeremy spun his leg under Stefan, tripping him, then grabbed his stake, not noticing the vampire blurring back to his feet until he was pinned to the ground with his hands behind his back.

 

“Since you found out about us, huh?” Stefan teased.

 

Jeremy could barely breathe from Stefan’s weight pressing him into the ground, “Let go.” he gasped.

  
He felt Stefan’s grip relent, then saw him go back to Elena, ducking his head from her steely gaze and mumbling an apology.  Jeremy pushed himself to his feet and felt Elena’s hand grip his wrist gently, mindful of his scars.

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, “Why are you sneaking out?”

 

Jeremy gave in, “Because Finn died tonight Elena.” before she could call him ‘sick’ or any other terrible name, he held up his free hand, “Don’t believe me?  Call Elijah, ask.  What I’m trying to do is find Kol because the last thing he apparently said to Finn is ‘I wish you were dead’, and after finding out about his _big brother’s_ death, he ran off.  I’m looking for my boy-- my friend because I am worried about him, I’m worried he might do something bad.”   


“Then why the weapons?” Elena interrogated.

 

Jeremy replied, “Finn’s killer may just still be out there.  I’m protecting myself, and him.”  


“What if he’s done something stupid?” Stefan queried, referring the little flip of a humanity switch which could resolve all of a vampire’s problems.

 

Jeremy sighed, then flatly stated, “Then I guess I’ll have to protect myself from him too.”

 

“He’s an Original.” Stefan growled, “That’s suicide!”

 

Jeremy shrugged, “Always was the self-destructive type.”

 

“Jeremy, please!” Elena begged, eyes glassing over with tears, “Don’t go.  I’m begging you.”

 

Jeremy closed his eyes, pushing away his thoughts of ‘stayhomewithyourfamily’ and when he opened them, he let the words flow, “I love him, and if there’s any chance I can help him with this, then I’m going to take it.  I’m sorry.” he clambered over the fence, then broke into a sprint.

 

Elena choked out a sob, “He just… left us.  He really does hate me.”  


“No, he doesn’t.” Stefan cupped her cheek, “He just young and in love.”

 

Elena shook her head, “This isn’t love… this is tragedy.  This is just… it’s wrong and…” she whimpered, “I can’t lose my brother, Stefan.”

 

“I know.” Stefan pulled her in for a close hug, “That’s why I’m calling in reinforcements.”

 

\--

 

Two sets of hands were linked together over an open flame as two figures sat opposite to each other, one a young female, the other a slightly older male.  They muttered incantations under their breath, watching as the flame rose and stretched around their entwined hands in a circle, almost like it was holding them together.  A smile stretched across the girl’s face as the flame glittered in her blue eyes.

 

“You look beautiful when you smile.” her boyfriend remarked.

 

She felt a blush rise, “Kaleb, you know I don’t like flattery.”

 

“You love it.” he teased, kneeling forward to kiss her, the gesture distracting them from the magic, making the flame burn out, leaving the room in utter darkness.

 

Davina laughed, then got up to turn on the lights, blinking a few times when they came on, the searing brightness burning her eyes.  She sat back down, drowning in the oceanic blue of Kaleb’s own gorgeous orbs, the colour itself almost roaring with the sound of the sea.

 

Before they got too invested, Kaleb stammered, “Well, I think that’s magic practice done for today.  Not that Kai would be too chuffed about that, mind you.”  


“Kai spends half his time screwing Bonnie, he isn’t one to talk.” she huffed, then cupped his cheek, “Are you okay?  After earlier today?”

 

Kaleb nodded, “I’m feeling better.  What about you?” his hand touched her bandaged wound, red seeping through white.

 

“I’m okay.” she reassured, “It didn’t hurt too bad.” noticing the light turmoil crossing his face, she pressed a quick kiss to his forehead, then rested her own against his chest, listening to the thumping of his heart with satisfaction.

 

His hand ran through her hair, and he mumbled, “One day, we should just leave this place.”

 

“And go where?” she asked, and Kaleb laid down so she was comfortable.

 

He shrugged, “I don’t know.  Anywhere.  Everywhere.  As long as you’re with me, I won’t care.”

 

“You’re so cheesy sometimes.” she smiled into his chest.

 

He frowned, “Sorry.”

 

“It’s okay.  It’s sweet.” she said fondly.

 

After a minute of silence, he spoke, “So how about it?”

 

“Oh, you’re serious?” she asked.

 

He nodded, “Deadly.”  


“Well, I don’t know.” she looked conflicted, “Here, I have my friends, Josh, Aiden, Kol, Jeremy, everyone.  I’ve got Marcel, Bonnie and Kai.  I’m not sure if I can lose that.  Not yet, at least.  So maybe.”

 

“Maybe’s good enough for me.” Kaleb smiled, kissing her knuckles.  He noticed Davina’s phone light up, “D.  Your phone.”

 

Davina sighed, getting up, “It’d better be important.” she said, then had a look at what her phone had to say.

  
It was a message from Jeremy’s phone, reading, ‘Jer gone 2 find Kol bc Finn hs been killed, vry worried, can u go help? -- Elena xxx’.   Davina looked up at her boyfriend, then showed him the message.

 

\--

 

“Hehe… Stop!” Josh giggled as Aiden sucked marks onto his neck, tickling him.

 

Aiden seemed content with his reaction, then kissed over his cheek and nose, peering down into the others’ chocolate eyes, “I love you.” he stated, and it sounded like a promise, “Are you sure you don’t want me to kill Caroline?”

 

“Hey.” Josh reassured, cupping his cheeks, “I’m fine.  It was just a neck snap.  Didn’t even hurt.”  


Aiden frowned, “If you were human, it would’ve.  It would’ve killed you.”

 

“But I’m not human.” Josh sighed, “And I’m okay.  Now kiss me.  Hey?  Aiden.  Kiss me.” his boyfriend surged forward to crash their lips together in an electric kiss, one that tingled through both of the men’s bodies.

 

Gentle gasps of air were exchanged between the two men as their lips continued to meet frantically, their bodies rocking together.  Josh moaned when he saw his phone light up, then pulled away.

 

“Oh, come on…” Aiden groaned, maneuvering off his boyfriend.

 

Josh grabbed his phone, looking at the text that showed up on the screen and he gaped slightly.

 

“Oh, no.” he murmured.

 

Aiden’s voice was tipped with concern as he asked, “What is it?” resting his head on Josh’s shoulder.  


“Finn’s… dead.” Josh stated, voice choking up, “And Kol… he ran off after finding out.  Jeremy went out after him.  Oh, God.”

 

There was a moment of silence before Aiden shifted off the bed, “Right.  That’s quite enough sitting back from us.  Let’s go find your friends.”

 

Josh nodded, “Thank you.”

 

\--

 

Bonnie sat curled up into Kai, noticing the uneven pattern of his breathing as he slumbered, his eyelashes flickering against his skin like the wings of a butterfly.  Bonnie felt like she wasn’t enough to help him at times, when he was suffering through a horrific nightmare.

 

Nowadays, Kai always seemed either lethargic or far too energetic, and it frightened her.  Something was coming, and she could sense it.

 

As if on cue, the door of their apartment burst open, the sound shocking Kai from his sleep.  He looked at Bonnie confusedly and with slight panic in his eyes, then they both walked into the living room.  Bonnie’s eyes widened when she saw Damon, clutching onto Enzo’s body, blue eyes gazing up at them in panic.

 

“Help me.” he pleaded.

 

Kai murmured, “Oh, my God…” then knelt beside him, “What the hell happened?”

 

“I don’t know, he’s not healing…” Damon’s voice shook.

 

Kai cupped Enzo’s cheek, hissing when he felt the electric shock of magic that hit him as soon as their skin touched.

 

“It’s a spell.” Kai murmured, shutting his eyes and letting himself feel the magic again.

 

Damon asked, “Can’t you siphon him?”

 

“What do you think I’m doing?” asked Kai, “Now, shush.  I have to do this very gingerly, with complete concentration.  I don’t wanna drain every morsel of magic from him, it’d kill him.”

 

Damon nodded, pushing himself a few metres away from Enzo and feeling Bonnie’s hands rest on his shoulder as Kai mumbled a spell under his breath.

 

The witch’s grey eyes shot open, red lightning crackling along his arms, and he whispered, “Liv.”

 

“Huh?” Damon arched an eyebrow.

 

Kai’s eyes filled with sorrow as he revealed, “It’s Liv’s magic.  I can sense it.”

 

“Kai, siphon the magic from him.  I don’t care right now who did it.” Damon commanded.

  
Kai looked up, a storm of anger burning in his eyes briefly, then he touched Enzo’s cheek again, feeling the exhilarating rush of magic travelling through his veins, like the best drug.  He heard Enzo gasp as he awoke, babbling in confusion, but didn’t let go.

 

“Kai, that’s enough.” Bonnie said, coming close, but was suddenly pushed backwards, landing on the floor.

 

Damon attempted to push Kai away, but was thrown backwards by an invisible force, and it wasn’t until Enzo released a choked scream, begging for mercy that Kai released him, running back into a wall in shock.

 

Bonnie rushed over to her lover, touching his shoulder as he blurted out apologies, watching Damon going over to Enzo and pulling him into his arms.

 

“Whatever.” Damon said, pushing back his anger and pecking Enzo on the lips, “Hey, baby… it’s okay.  You’re okay.”

  
Enzo nodded, taking his boyfriend’s hand.

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, in the woods, Jeremy skulked around, the sound of his own heartbeat louder than the horrific silence of the woods.  He grabbed his bow and one arrow, drawing it back against the string, feeling his hand tremble slightly.

 

_Crack!_

 

Jeremy’s entire body pivoted to face the source of the sound, his ears perking up as he listened to the source of the sound.

 

“Kol?” he called, and there was no reply.

 

There was another crack, and Jeremy felt his heart race increase.  He took a deep breath to calm himself down, closed his eyes, then released the arrow, hearing a grunt from somebody.  He smiled, hoping he had hit somebody, and then opened his eyes, heart sinking when he saw Josh holding the arrow, Davina, Kaleb and Aiden behind him.

 

“Dude, do you even know how to use one of these?” he asked, “And anyway, didn’t anybody tell you not to play with sharp objects?”

 

Jeremy rolled his eyes, “What’re you guys doing here?”

 

“Helping you find Kol.” Davina replied, “He’s our friend too.”

 

Josh corrected, “But he isn’t our boyfriend.”

 

“Knew it.” Davina smirked.

 

Jeremy said, “Whoa, wait, guys.  I don’t want or need your help.”  


“Really?  What killed Finn?” Aiden queried, then saw Jeremy stumble for words, “Exactly.  You don’t know.  Somehow, I doubt that if you met it, something that can kill an _Original_ vampire, your little Hawkeye getup would work.”

 

Jeremy sighed, “Fine.  And anyway, I prefer the Green Arrow to Hawkeye.  DC rules.”  


“Oh, hang on a secon--”

 

Josh interrupted his boyfriend, “I’m all for nerdisms, but is this really the time?  Come on!”

 

“Sorry.” Aiden ducked his head, laughing, taking Josh’s hand.

 

Jeremy took another arrow out of his bag, drawing it back, striking anxiety into Kaleb.

 

“I’m not so comfortable with going through the woods at night, but okay.” he murmured under his breath.

 

Aiden sniffed the air, “God, something stinks.  Wait.  Are we close to town?”

 

“The lower regions, I think.” Jeremy replied, then cocked his head, “Come on, this way.”

 

Josh shook his head, “No, I think Aiden’s got a point.  I smell something too… Oh, my God.  It’s blood.”

 

Jeremy’s head snapped up at the word, and he cursed under his breath.

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Kol Mikaelson stumbled through downtown Chicago, hearing the chatter of police radio, so loud alongside the thoughts that roared in his head _yourfaultyourfaultallyourfault,_ his hands trembling by his side.  He was still partly, blissfully in denial, and he was grateful for that.

 

Feeling ill, he walked over to where the yellow tape was, looking behind it to see two shapes lying under white sheets.  He was relieved to see there weren’t many people there, and clambered under the tape, immediately stopped by a cop.

 

“I’m sorry, sir.  I can’t let you past.” the cop said, voice sincere.

 

Kol looked him in the eye, “Knock yourself out.” he willed, voice a growl, “You disgusting, murderous beast!” he knew the words were directed at himself.

 

In a blur, he managed to knock every human there unconscious, then shakily knelt beside the two covered bodies.  He looked at the shapes, determining which one was Finn, then rolled back the sheet, a gasp escaping him like he had been shot.

 

Finn’s skin was grey and decayed, almost like stone, his eyes rolled back with a few drops of crimson running down his chin.  There was a bloodied hole in his shirt and chest where the stake had entered him.  Kol touched his brother’s cheek softly, tears welling in his eyes, the reality of the situation crashing over him like a wave.

 

“F-Finn.” he whispered, “Oh, God.  I’m s-so sorry, brother.” he paused for a gasp of air, then murmured childishly, _“You can come back now.  I was only kidding, I didn’t really want you to leave me.”_ there was no reply, and he felt panic increasing in his veins, “Finn?   _Finn?"_

 

His head reared up, and he let out a roar of grief, the sound reverberating around the lower city, his emotions finally toppling him.  He rested his head against Finn’s chest, shaking, horrible sobs escaping him, his thoughts too loud for him to bear.

 

\--

  
Jeremy and his group walked down the lower city, the human slinging his bow back over his arm and his bow back in his bag.

 

“Do you hear that?” Josh asked.

 

Jeremy arched an eyebrow, “Hear what?”

 

“Exactly.” Josh replied, “Complete silence.”

 

His statement was made irrelevant when an agonized scream broke through the air, and Jeremy recognised it as Kol’s voice.  He immediately broke into a run, the others following after him.

 

Jeremy stopped when he saw a figure crouched over another, the latter unmoving as the former’s head rested on it’s chest.  The former seemed to be laughing, shoulders shaking, but it wasn’t until Jeremy got slightly closer, he heard the sobs.

 

Josh and the others went and checked on the civilians, relieved when they found out they were still alive.

 

Jeremy knelt beside the weeping figure, realising it was Kol.  His heart shattered to pieces as he reached out and touched his shoulder, seeing the fear in his eyes.

 

“Kol…” Jeremy whispered, cupping his cheek and diverting his gaze from the corpse of his brother, “You shouldn’t be here.  You should be with your family.”  


Kol whimpered, “It’s my fault he’s dead, Jeremy, they hate me.  At least they should.”

 

“They’re your siblings, Kol.” Jeremy stroked away some tears, “They won’t judge you.” he pressed a brief kiss to Kol’s lips, then his forehead before making eye contact with him again, “And neither will I.” he paused, swallowing back his own tears at the sight of Kol in such pain, before speaking again, “It wasn’t your fault, Kol.”

 

Then, the human brought his boyfriend close, feeling him weep into his shoulder, both clinging to each other in the middle of the street.

 

\--

 

Two hours later, and Elijah was pacing around the room.  He had finally convinced Rebekah to go to bed, and Niklaus was slumbering in his chair, holding pretty strong.

 

The eldest living Original’s fingers knocked together in anxiety, his eyes going to look at the clock every couple of minutes as he waited, not wanting to lose another sibling.

 

There was a knock at the door that caught Elijah’s attention and seemed to slightly rouse Niklaus, and the elder rushed to the door and opened it, seeing Kol and his friends on the other side.

 

“I… uh… I’m s-sorry.” Kol’s voice was choked from crying, and it sounded like he was going to start again.

 

Elijah instantly pulled his brother into his arms, kissing the top of his head as he felt him whimper a sob into his chest.

 

He whispered, “I know, brother, I know.” then mouthed ‘thank you’ to Kol’s friends, each of whom gave a respectful nod before leaving.

 

Elijah helped his brother into the house, shutting the door behind him and noticed that not only was Niklaus now awake, Rebekah was standing at the bottom of the stairs, mouth open in shock.

 

There was a beat of silence, then she ran over and jump-hugged him, nearly knocking him to the floor.  When she finally released him, wiping the tears from her eyes, Klaus pulled his younger brother into a firm hug, feeling him relax into the gesture.

 

“I will find who did this.” he promised, “They will pay, I swear.”

 

Kol nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how did you like that? Comments are always appreciated, love you all!:)


	12. Chapter Eleven - Moving On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, sorry it's been a while, but here's the update, sorry it's a bit shitty!

Days passed, and Kol found himself dreading everything when the time for Finn’s funeral arrived.  Jeremy was sitting in his room in formalwear, watching his boyfriend getting dressed.

 

Trembling hands fiddled with a tie fruitlessly, unable to fasten it in his state.  Jeremy immediately rushed to him, taking his hands away from the piece of clothing to do it himself, knotting it carefully.  He knew this was not the first funeral that the Original had attended, but would be, possibly, the worst one in his life to deal with.

  
He hadn’t liked Sage, or gotten along with Finn, but had known them long enough for them to be family.

 

“You okay?” he asked, then noticed the stupidity in his question, “Sorry… stupid question.”

 

Kol shook his head, “No… it’s sweet.” he sniffled, “Thank you.  And when I see the group, remind me to thank them too.  You’ve all been amazing.”

  
“Kol… you’re family to us.” Jeremy explained, touching his boyfriend’s hand, “You may not have known us for long, but we  _ do  _ care.  I care.” he ran his hand up to cup his boyfriend’s cheek, “You need  _ anything  _ today, absolutely  _ anything,  _ you tell me, okay?”

 

Kol nodded, then pressed his lips to Jeremy’s in a brief, but emotion-fuelled kiss, one that was ended when the room door opened, Elijah standing on the other side looking sincere.

 

“Kol, Jeremy.” he greeted, “Are you both ready?”

 

Kol’s hand slipped into Jeremy’s and he gave a nod, “I’m ready.”

 

\--

 

The service, as Kol could’ve guessed, was gruelling, watching people he hardly even knew stand up and give eulogies, those same people attempting apologies that didn’t comfort him one bit due to the growing pit of grief in his stomach.

 

Thankfully, he didn’t break and managed to spend the entire funeral looking grim but not quite the mess of tears Rebekah was in her seat.  He stretched over and comfortingly rested his hand on her knee, offering her an understanding smile.  She took his hand, stroking her thumb over his knuckles to distract her from the reality of the situation.

 

As Finn’s coffin was lowered into the ground, Kol had to look away, trying not to focus on the cruel joke that his brother had spent nine hundred years in one only to end up back into one.

 

The day lasted longer than he had wished, each painful moment being dragged out like a knife to the heart, and he wasn’t sure how he lasted the whole way through without screaming and crying, despite the temptation.  Jeremy had been comforting him all the way through, small touches to the shoulder to remind him he was there if he needed him, and it was just the tiniest bit of warmth thawing out his frozen stance as tears threatened him.

 

Before the service ended, the other members of their social group approached them, Davina’s arm locked with Kaleb’s whilst Josh stood to the side of them, Aiden off speaking to Klaus.

 

“How you holding up, buddy?” Josh asked, reaching out and resting his hand on Kol’s shoulder.

 

Kol shrugged, “I’m fine, I guess.  Is it bad that I feel okay?”

 

“No, it’s completely fine.” Davina replied.

 

Kol gave a small smile, “Good.  I keep thinking that there’s something wrong with me.  Th-That not crying every minute is disrespectful.”

 

“You’re holding up.” Kaleb noted, “Just know that if you need anything--”

 

Kol nodded, “I know.  Thank you.”

 

Suddenly, Klaus’ voice rose above the chatter of the crowd, Aiden stepping away to stand with Josh again, “I want to thank you all for coming, and I have an announcement of some new rules that I’m bringing in.”

 

Kol’s eyebrows knitted together, and he muttered,  _ “What is he doing?” _

 

“Due to the threat of our security, one of my trusted and compelled guards will be with each faction at all times, and if they catch you attempting to sneak away and do something you shouldn’t, you will be terminated, no questions asked.” Gasps arose from the crowd, but Klaus relentlessly continued, “Also, each and every one of you will be subjected to compelled questioning, and if I find out there’s even a glimmer of vervain in your system, you will have your hearts ripped out through your throats.” Kol exchanged a look with Jeremy, unconsciously gripping his hand, “Vampires and werewolves will not be permitted to copulate and date unless decreed by me, and no spells will be made unless I am aware.”

 

Kol whispered, “He’s gone mad.”

 

“Aiden…” Josh’s voice cracked, and he looked at his boyfriend worriedly, “W-What-- he can’t.  He can’t do this.”

 

Kol shook his head, “This isn’t fair.”

 

“If anybody fights these laws…” Klaus began, “Well, I have a demonstration.  Come on, love.” a brunette girl shambled her way over to Klaus, her face expressionless, “Tell them your name.”

 

The girl stammered out, “V-Vicki.  V-Vicki Donovan.”

 

“Well, Vicki Donovan.” Klaus grabbed her by the throat, leaning forward to murmur into her ear, “Say hello to the crowd.”

 

She lifted her hand and lazily waved, “Hello, crowd.”

 

“That’s… It’s Matt’s sister.” Kol gasped, recognising her, “M-Matt Donovan, Bekah’s ex.  Well, I killed him so they didn’t break up--”

 

Jeremy practically shrieked in disgust,  _ “Kol!” _

 

“Sorry.” The vampire ducked his head slightly, watching his unhinged brother intently.

 

Klaus grinned sadistically, “Now say goodbye.” then, with a burst of speed, dug his fangs into her neck, tearing her throat out so brutally that his suit was now drenched with blood as her body slipped to the floor, her eyes staring widely.

 

“Oh, my God.” Kol murmured, the crowd suddenly becoming too much for him as he backed away, “Where are my siblings?”

 

Jeremy rested a hand on his boyfriend’s back, looking around for them, “I can’t see them.”

 

“Aiden…” tears welled up in Josh’s eyes as he looked at his boyfriend, cupping his cheek, “H-He can’t do this.”

 

Aiden sighed, “Josh…”

  
Klaus made his way over, his eyes wild as he grinned at Josh and Aiden, “Ah,  _ boys.   _ I trust you’ll follow my new rules?”

 

“You bastard.” Kol growled, straightening, “You can’t do this.”

 

Klaus corrected, “On the contrary, brother, I already have.  Just ask the  _ very nice  _ dead body back there, and I don’t mean Finn’s.”

 

“You’re insane.” Josh stated, curling into Aiden.

 

That seemed to anger the hybrid, who’s voice rose, “I am trying to protect people, Joshua.  You lot could be conspiring against my siblings and I!”   
  


“You’re being paranoid!” Kol shouted, “How can two people who love each other automatically be conspiring against us, two who are  _ my friends!” _

 

Klaus retorted, “I am doing this in Finn’s name, brother, or has your disregard for him returned?  I am aware how you hated him, and your hatred of him may have even driven him to the grave.”

 

Kol flinched, trying to hide his pain from that comment, “Y-You’re not thinking straight, Nik.  You don’t mean that.”

 

“Well you certainly believed it.” He looked at Josh and Aiden, “Now, I’d advise you two to finish up otherwise you’ll be my examples of what will happen when I see a hybrid pairing.” he gave a small smirk before walking away.

 

Josh gasped out thick sobs, and Aiden cupped his cheek, his own lip trembling from the threat of tears.

 

“I’m so sorry.” Kol sighed, “I’ll talk to him.”

 

Aiden shook his head, “No.  He knows we’re friends, he’ll automatically know you’re advocating for us.”   
  


“I’m advocating for basic human -- well, not human -- rights!” Kol corrected, “I know I’m a psychotic bastard at times, but him?  He takes the whole bloody biscuit tin!”

 

Josh whimpered, “S-So that’s it?  W-We can’t be together anymore?”

 

“I’m sorry.” Aiden murmured, pulling him up into a passionate, if not brief, kiss, emotion flooding through each of them and draining down their cheeks.  When Aiden pulled away, he whispered, “I love you.” before walking away, leaving Josh choking on his own breath as he wept.

 

Davina stepped away from Kaleb and wrapped her arms around Josh’s torso, resting her head against his chest.

 

“I’m not accepting this.” Kol growled, “I’m going to stop him.”

 

Jeremy was about to stop Kol, but when he turned, his boyfriend had disappeared from sight.

 

\--

 

“So, Finn Mikaelson’s funeral was today, as you all know.” Damon began, pacing in front of Enzo, Alaric, Bonnie and Kai, “So we have to be careful, the town’s in enough danger with Liv on the prowl, so dealing with Stefan’s bound to get more difficult.”

 

Kai rolled his eyes, “Don’t you understand, Damon?  It’s not about Stefan anymore.  My sister is in town and most likely, not alone, so something big is about to go down.”

 

“Exactly.” Enzo began, “Maybe she has allies that are already in the town.”

 

Bonnie stated, “You mean Stefan.”

 

“Well, yeah.” Enzo gave a forced laugh, “I mean, I’m not being funny, love, but he does hate me, and who did the pain spell target specifically?   _ Me.” _

 

Alaric shrugged, “Well maybe because you know Kai.  Maybe it’s a warning?”

 

“You are only saying that because you’re slumming it up with Auntie Sunshine.” Damon snarked, “She’s human you know, accidents may happen.”   
  


Bonnie hissed,  _ “Don’t you dare.   _ This is why Tyler never shows up here any more, you are too violent.”

 

“We’re vampires, gorgeous.” Enzo narrowed his eyes, “It’s what we do.”

 

Alaric’s voice rose, “Well, if you hurt Jenna, I’ll stake you both myself.”

 

“Don’t worry.” Kai sighed, “Aunt Sun-- Jenna will be fine.  Now, our predicament.  Do we tell the originals about this little problem?”

 

Bonnie crossed her arms, “I vote no, Klaus is a crazy bastard and he’s paranoid as hell.”

 

As if on cue, her mobile buzzed, and she groaned, pulling it out her pocket and reading a text from Davina.  She cursed under her breath then dropped her phone onto the table, letting everybody read Klaus’ new set of rules.

 

“Holy shit… poor Josh.” Kai muttered, “We’ve gotta stop him.”

 

Bonnie shook her head, “We can’t.  It isn’t possible.  He’s insane.”

 

There was a knock at the door suddenly, catching the group’s attention.  Damon reluctantly walked over to answer it, and gasped when he saw who was standing on the other side.

 

“I need your help.” Caroline stated, holding a shivering Tyler close to her.

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Kol had finally caught up to Klaus, who was staring out onto the serene surface of the Chicago river.  Piled around him were the dead bodies of various humans, which struck a chord of fear into Kol -- Klaus seemed to have completely lost it.

 

Kol stepped over the bodies, swallowing,  _ “Nik.   _ Please stop this.”   
  


“You know, brother, you always did have a knack for being pretentious and irritating.” Klaus stated, “But I didn’t ever think you  _ this  _ foolish.  Leave me.”   
  


Kol shook his head, “No.  Nik, what’s wrong?  We buried Finn today and you’re acting like you don’t--”

 

“Like I don’t care?” Klaus asked, turning around to look at Kol, “I don’t.  Finn was a fool as well as a bore, as far as I am concerned, the bastard deserved it.”   
  


Kol looked affronted, “Don’t say that!  He was our brother.  He was an arsehole at times but… what is wrong with you?”

 

“I am only trying to be a good leader.” Klaus growled, “And unless you want me to put your darling Jeremy on the suspects list, I’d let me be.”

 

Kol inhaled sharply, “You can’t do that.”

 

“I can do whatever I want.” Klaus said, grabbing Kol by the throat, “And if you ever think otherwise, then you are sorely mistaken, little brother.  Now farewell.” He released him, “Leave me.”

 

Kol sighed, blurring away from his brother until he was back with Jeremy, who was talking with Stefan and Elena, who the original greeted with a fleeting, “Hey.”

 

“Kol!” Jeremy smiled, relieved, “Thank God.  Davina and Kaleb have taken Josh back to Davina’s attic, they’re letting him stay there whilst all this Klaus shit happens.”   
  


Elena asked, “Have you spoken to him?”   
  


“Yep.” Kol rubbed his neck, “Nothing.  He’s unreachable.”

 

Stefan sighed, “This is horrible.  And no doubt my brother’s up to no good, this is all we need.”

 

“Can I speak to Kol alone?” Jeremy requested, and waited for Elena and Stefan to leave before continuing, “You okay?” He looked at his boyfriend’s neck.

 

Kol nodded, “I’m fine, but something is definitely wrong with Nik.  He wasn’t like that this morning.”

 

“What’re you going to do?” The younger asked, reaching out and touching Kol’s shoulder.

 

Kol replied, “I’m going to have to find a way to stop him.  But that’s not our only issue.”

 

“What?”

 

Kol confessed, “Last week, before Finn…” he broke off with a sigh, then continued, “I overheard Nadia, Nik’s little fuckbuddy talking with Rebekah’s girlfriend Katherine--”

 

“Wait, Rebekah’s dating Katherine Pierce?” Jeremy asked, “Elena’s doppelganger?  Yeesh…”

 

Kol hushed him, “Let me finish, like I said, I overheard them talking, Nadia called her  _ mother,  _ and they mentioned that Liv Parker was in town.”   
  


“Liv Parker?” Jeremy arched an eyebrow, “Kai’s sister?”   
  


Kol nodded, “I’m guessing that all this, Nik and Finn’s death… it’s gotta be connected.”

 

“So what are you going to do?” Jeremy asked.

 

Kol replied, “As I said, I’m going to stop it.”   
  


“On your own?”

 

Kol shrugged, “No offense darling, but you aren’t exactly Buffy yet.”

 

“You could teach me to fight.” Jeremy suggested, “I don’t want to be the fragile human wallflower any more.”   
  


Kol shook his head, “I can’t risk you, Jer.”

 

“It’s my decision and I wanna stay by your side.” Jeremy cupped Kol’s cheek, “Always and forever, that’s your family’s motto, right?”

 

Kol pulled back slightly, “No, it’s too risky.  This is life and death.”

 

“I know.” Jeremy rested his forehead against Kol’s, “But I wanna fight.  For Josh’s sake, for all our sakes.”   
  


Kol caved, “Very well.  I’ll train you.” he leant down and pecked Jeremy’s lips, “We’ll tell the others, but try and keep it a secret from Stefan and Elena.”   
  


“And you won’t tell Elijah or Rebekah?” Jeremy asked.

 

Kol agreed, “Deal.  Now go, I’ll text you.”

 

The two parted with a final kiss, Kol left alone with his thoughts as he walked over to Finn’s plot, frowning.

 

“We’ll solve this, Finn.” Kol promised, “I swear.”

 

\--

 

A soft, yet cruelty-laced voice danced along the air as a cloaked figure wandered into the abandoned ruins of an old shop, strands of blonde hair tucked behind her ear, “Hello, everyone.”   
  


“L.” Katherine greeted, looking up, “Lovely to see you again.  Did you hear the news?  One of the Mikaelsons are dead.”

 

Liv peeled back the hood of her cloak, “Oh, I heard.  I just came to ask who would do something like that when I specifically ordered you to wait!”   
  


“It wasn’t us.” Nadia said, looking slightly angered, “We figured it lead back to you.”

 

Liv scoffed, “No.  Why would I want to do that?  It goes against my plans.”

 

“Wait.” Katherine crossed her arms, “If it wasn’t any of us, then who was it?  Who killed Finn?”

 

An eerie silence fell over them almost instantly, and Liv sat down, looking at each of her subjects confusedly.

 

She finally broke the silence, “It doesn’t matter.  What matters is Kai, and the Mikaelsons.  What matters is our revenge.  I’m sure being deprived of one original does not matter.  Now, lets begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, follow my tumblr writing blog at coffeeandliteracy.tumblr.com!


	13. Chapter Twelve - Talk Some Sense To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been a while but I've been really busy, I've had college and some other personal issues, but hopefully I will be able to update this more often.
> 
> This chapters a bit terrible but I wanted to write something a bit less painful than usual, so here you go. Have my filler chapter of adventures of gay vampires.

_ “You need our help.”  _ Damon mocked, his tone dripping with venom.

 

Caroline narrowed her eyes,  _ “Believe me,  _ I don’t like it either.  But I gotta warn you, come near me and I’ll kick you so hard in the nuts that you’ll revolt back into the slimy crack of hell you came from.”

 

“Well…” Enzo laughed awkwardly, going to help her with Tyler, “I’ll be the peacemaker here.  What’s wrong with wolfie?” he raised his hand up to touch the wolf’s shoulder, but was snapped at by him, making him jump back, startled, “Christ, almighty!  Give us a warning next time, eh, blondie?”

 

Bonnie rolled her eyes, “What’s wrong with him, Caroline?” her voice was gentle, the kindest one of their group.

 

“He broke the sire bond for me.” Caroline explained, “But it left him… it left him rabid.”

 

Kai scoffed, “No wonder!  The idiot, you don’t just  _ break  _ a sire bond.  It’s a wonder it didn’t kill him!  I mean, maybe on the inside it did but still!”

 

“Kai.” Bonnie shot him a warning look.

 

Kai backed down, “Right.  I’m being insensitive again, aren’t I?”

 

“Mm hm.” Caroline nodded, “And as much as I dislike most of you, I need your help.  Specifically witch one and two.” she turned to her lover, “Tyler, go sit down honey, okay?”

 

Damon arched an eyebrow, “‘Honey’?  God, you are not going to be happy about Klaus’ new rules set.”

 

“I heard about them, and to be honest, I don’t care.” Caroline remarked, holding onto Tyler as he shambled into a seat, “I do what I like now, no man can bind me.”   
  


Damon hissed, “You’ve changed.  Grew a sense of self-worth.  It suits you.”   
  


“Yep, and that’s why any comments by you are unneeded.” she retorted, “I don’t need you to tell me what looks good on me.”

 

Kai knelt in front of Tyler, keeping enough distance so that he wouldn’t enrage him, “Hmm.” he began, “Seems like he’s more animal than vampire right now.”   
  


“You don’t say.” Caroline quipped, “Now, can you help him?”

 

Kai looked up, “You may be in luck, Caroline Forbes.  But it’ll have to wait a few days.” before Caroline could complain, he held up his hands, “I need to order in some ingredients for a potion, it’ll allow me, and someone else, to enter his mind.  It’ll help, trust me.”   
  


“I’m having slight trouble doing that, Hannibal Lector.” the blonde snapped back, “Yeah, I know what you did.  Just ‘cause I’m blonde, doesn’t mean I’m dumb.”

 

Kai sighed, “That was a while ago.  I’ve changed.”

 

“I’ll be the judge of that.” she said, “Alright.  Take your time.  But you  _ will  _ fix him, right?”

 

Kai nodded, “I promise.”

 

\--

 

A day passed, then Kol’s clique all met up in Davina and Kaleb’s apartment, trying to work out a plan.  Jeremy was training with Kol in the living room, trying to land one hit against the vampire but so far failing.  Josh was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, half-watching them, but mostly a world away, too lost in his misery.  Davina and Kaleb were making food in the kitchen.

 

“Again.” Kol commanded as he held his boyfriend’s arm against his back, then he released him.

 

Jeremy shoved his elbow into Kol’s chest, then attempted to jam the stake he was holding into it, knowing it wouldn’t kill him.  Unfortunately for him, Kol was too fast, blurring to get him into a headlock.

 

Kol mocked, “Sloppy.  You’d be dead by now.”

 

“You know, training with you isn’t as fun as I thought it’d be.” Jeremy hissed, tapping his arm.

 

Kol released his boyfriend, “This isn’t supposed to be fun, Jeremy.  It’s supposed to help whip you into shape so you can fight my unfortunately deranged big brother.” after the last sentence, Kol frowned.

 

“Hey…” Jeremy stepped forward, resting a hand on his shoulder, “You doing okay?”

 

Kol shrugged, “I just buried one brother today and I’m already losing another.  It’s strange; I preach and scream that I hate my family but here I am, a wreck because I’m about to lose them.”

 

“They’re your family.” Josh stated, still sounding extremely distant, “Of course you’d wanna fight for them.  Family are everything.  At least, you think they are.  Sometimes, they just don’t wanna be.  They give up on you, hurt you, abuse you and no matter how hard you try, all they do is take whilst you give.”

 

Kol’s lips pressed into a thin line and he knelt beside Josh, “I promise, we will fix this, mate.  You and Aiden will have your happily ever after, even if it kills me.  I swear.”

 

“You know, everyone preaches how you’re the worst one out of the lot.” Josh gave a half-smile, “They’re wrong.  Your family may be toxic beasts, but you’re certainly not.”

 

Kol genuinely smiled, no hidden mischief or lies behind it, “Thank you, my friend.” he got back up and turned to Jeremy, “Hit me.”   
  


“What?” Jeremy asked.

 

Kol retorted, “Did I bloody stutter?  I said ‘hit me’.”

 

“Uhh…” Jeremy arched an eyebrow, then lightly hit Kol in the shoulder.

 

Kol arched an eyebrow, “And what on God’s green Earth was that?”

 

“Kol, I don’t want to hit you.” Jeremy said.

 

Kol retorted, “Well maybe you don’t  _ want  _ me to train you, then!  Don’t waste my time!”

 

“Why are you  _ being  _ like this?” Jeremy shouted.

 

Kol cruelly replied, “Maybe because my brother is dead, my other one is a lunatic and I’m stuck training someone who’s too much of a coward to face his sister, nevermind throw a punch!”

 

Jeremy scoffed in annoyance, then walked out onto the balcony, leaving Kol with Josh, who was staring up at him.

 

“You didn’t have to be an asshole about it.” Josh started, “You know, you aren’t the only one who lost someone.”   
  


Kol hissed, “Aiden is still alive.  Finn isn’t, and part of me is glad.”

 

“So you take out your guilt on the one who cares most about you?” Josh arched an eyebrow, “You two are lucky.  You have each other.  Don’t ruin that.”

 

Kol sighed, “You’re right.”

 

He headed out onto the balcony after Jeremy, wrapping his arms around the other boy’s torso and resting his chin on his shoulder.  The human loosened against him, practically melting into him.

 

“I’m sorry.” Kol whispered, then pressed a kiss to his cheek.

 

Jeremy huffed, “I know.” he then turned around to face his boyfriend, “I get it.  You’re angry, you have every right to be.”

 

Kol reached out and caressed his cheek, “Yeah, but I don’t get to take it out on you.  Especially with how supportive you’ve been.”

 

“Kol… I know this isn’t exactly the best timing but I was thinking about coming out to Elena.” Jeremy explained antsily.

 

Kol looked confused, “She doesn’t know?”

 

“Not officially.” the human replied, “I just… with everything going on…”

 

Kol interjected, “Family is important.  The non-crazy ones, anyway.  Go.  Patch it up with her.  You know I’m here if you need me.”

 

“Thanks.” Jeremy stepped forward and pecked his lips before remarking, “You’re not  _ that  _ bad of a teacher, by the way.”

 

He turned and headed back into the living room, leaving Kol staring out onto the city lights, and he saw Josh pulling on his jacket.

 

“Where are you going?” Jeremy asked, “I thought you were staying with Kaleb and Davina for a while?”   
  


Josh explained, “Yeah, I am.  It’s just… I’ve gotta go pick up some of my stuff from A-Aiden and I’s apartment.  Clothes, blood bags.  All that crap.”

 

“Okay, walk me home?” Jeremy asked, “I’m headed that way anyway.  Plus, it’s probably not best to be alone with some vampire killing freak on the loose.”

 

Josh nodded and managed a half-smile before going to peek into the kitchen where Kaleb and Davina were adorably feeding each other spoonfuls of chilli sauce, Davina laughing at Kaleb’s reactions to how spicy it was.

 

“Hey guys.” he hated to interrupt their bliss, “I’m just gonna head round to pick up my stuff.  I’ll be back soon, okay?”

 

Davina looked up, her face changing to one of worry, “Sure.  By the way, Kaleb insists on making us watch Doctor Who later, so be prepared.”

 

“Oh, I  _ will  _ be.” Josh said before walking out with Jeremy.

 

Kol walked through into the kitchen, “Doctor Who?  What the bloody hell is that?”

 

A look of mild offense crossed Kaleb’s face as he turned around, “Stick around, mate.  I’ll convert you into a Whovian before the night is through.”

 

“Okay.  I’ll text ‘Lijah first.” Kol said, then picked his phone up, sending him a quick text.

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, Elijah was sitting in his study, his eyes flickering carelessly through a book, a troubled look about him.  He heard his cell phone jingle, and put the book down to check the text he had received.

 

_ ‘Kol: Will be home later tonight.  Hanging out with Davina, Josh and Kaleb.  Don’t wait up.’ _

 

Elijah typed an ‘ok’ in reply, then turned his mobile off.  All of a sudden, Klaus burst into his study, face red with rage as he swept some of Elijah’s papers off the desk.

 

“You okay, brother?” Elijah deadpanned amusedly, “You seem to be troubled.”   
  


Klaus grumbled, “Where is Kol?”   
  


“Why?” Elijah crossed his arms, “You do realise our brother isn’t  _ actually  _ an eighteen year old, right?”

 

Klaus’ anger increased, “Do not play games with me, Elijah!  You know where he is.  He’s with those friends of his, plotting my downfall!”

 

“Actually, he’s watching Doctor Who.” Elijah corrected matter-of-factly.

 

Klaus hissed, “You’re lying!”

 

“Niklaus, unless a fictional character is somehow going to come into reality and ruin your dastardly plans, I would say you’re being paranoid.” Elijah said, “Now can you please pick up my papers?  Those were important.”

 

Klaus eyes flashed golden, “Do not mock me.”

 

“To quote some rather ignorant millennials, ‘Take a chill pill’.” Elijah sighed.

 

Klaus stomped out moodily, leaving the office as wrecked as he had made it.

 

\--

 

Josh and Jeremy silently walked together, neither really sure of what to say to each other.  Asides from a couple of conversations that usually involved the rest of their clique and occasional snarkisms, they didn’t talk much.  Jeremy didn’t talk much.

 

“So you live just around the corner, right?” Josh piped up, breaking the horrific silence.

 

Jeremy nodded from under his hoodie, rubbing his arm anxiously before asking, “Um… Josh?  How did you come out to your family?”

 

“Well, my parents found some roses that my boyfriend had sent me, then shredded them.  Then they kicked me out.” Josh explained sadly, and when he saw the look of worry cross Jeremy’s face, attempted to reassure him, “But that was just them!  Not everyone takes it negatively.  Some people are really, really supportive.  Just because mine was a horror story doesn’t mean yours has to be too!  In fact, I think that your family will take it well!  That is what you’re getting at, right?  You want to come out?”

 

Jeremy nodded, “They’ve already figured out that I’m dating Kol, but I need to say the words.  I need to confide in them, tell them I’m gay.”

 

“Hey.” Josh reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder, “I believe in you, buddy.  You can do this.”

 

Jeremy flashed Josh a crooked smile, then turned and walked away, heading into the house.

 

Josh mumbled to himself, “They grow up so fast…” then sped off, feeling the rain beginning to pelt down around him.

 

\--

 

When Jeremy walked into the living room pulling back his hood, he allowed himself to scan the area.  Stefan and Elena were nestled together on the couch whilst Jenna was sitting with Alaric, all of them focused on some reality TV show.

 

Jeremy cleared his throat and Elena looked up, pressing the pause button, “Hey, you okay?”

 

The teenager nodded and sighed, “Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you guys.  Something I need to get off my chest.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Jenna asked, concerned.

 

Jeremy replied, “Nothing it’s just…” he swallowed back the threat of tears, “Some of you have probably figured out I’m dating someone.  Stefan and Elena know who, and I just wanted to clear something up.” he wiped at his eyes with suddenly shaking hands, his heart racing in his chest.  He felt like he was either going to be sick or pass out and didn’t know which one would be worse for the situation, so he decided to spit it out, “I’m… I’m gay.  Ever since I learned about love, I knew.  I was different.  I was… not normal.  An-And after mom and dad…” a sob broke from him, and he took a second, “Ever since they died, I’ve had this idea in my head that it was all my fault, that this is whatever God exists sick way of punishing me, so I hid it.  But I can’t hide it anymore.  I’m… I’m gay.” he ducked his head and hid from their gaze, terrified that he was about to be shamed, bereft of any ability to rationalise the millions of thoughts that raced through his head.

 

There was a couple of seconds of agonising silence before Elena got up and took Jeremy’s hands into her own, “Jeremy… how could you think I wouldn’t accept you?  You’re my brother and I love you, that will never change, ever.” she brushed a few strands of hair from his face, “I’ve been a terrible sister.  But I’m going to be better.”

 

Stefan nodded, “Me too.  Better person in general.  Plus, I don’t really care if you’re gay or straight.”

 

“Dude, I literally live with a gay couple.” Alaric pointed out, “No prejudice here.”

 

Jenna got up and joined Elena and Jeremy, stroking Jeremy’s cheek, “We’re your family, we wouldn’t judge you for something like that.  We love you.”

 

Jeremy nodded and allowed himself to be pulled into a hug by Elena and Jenna, gently sobbing against them, relief swelling within him.

 

“I’m so proud of you.” Elena said, carding her fingers gently through his hair.

 

\--

 

When Josh arrived at the apartment, he chose simply to walk in instead of knocking, and was taken aback when he saw Aiden looking at him with a look akin to a startled deer.

 

“Um…” he avoided Aiden’s eyes, “Hey.  Just collecting my stuff.  Thought you’d be doing wolfy business.”

 

Aiden explained, “Jack gave me the afternoon off, saw I was a bit upset.”

 

“Oh.” Josh anxiously shifted, “You look good.”

 

Aiden sighed, “Josh, what are we doing?”

 

“‘We’?” Josh felt a flare of anger light within him, “You don’t want a ‘we’.  You made that perfectly clear.”

 

Aiden looked hurt, “You know we don’t have a choice.  Klaus would  _ kill  _ us.”   
  


“I’m not scared of him.  Not when I have Kol and probably Rebekah on my side.” Josh retorted.

 

Aiden said, “And  _ they’d _ be the ones to trust, huh?  What makes you think that they won’t turn on you the second your back’s turned?”

 

“Look, I didn’t come to argue.” Josh felt his eyes sting as he pushed past Aiden, “I came to pack up.”

 

Aiden grabbed his arm lightly, “Josh, wait.”

 

“For  _ what?” _ Josh snapped, “You obviously don’t want to fight for us.”

 

Suddenly, surprising Josh, Aiden’s hands moved to the vampire’s cheeks and he stepped forward, kissing him.  Josh froze, not sure of how to take this, but then he lost all control and began to kiss back.

 

When Aiden pulled away, Josh regained some of his sense, “What the hell was that?  You say we can’t be together, but then you go and kiss me like that?  What game are you playing?”

 

“I’m not playing a game.” Aiden once again looked wounded, which filled Josh with regret.

 

The vampire huffed, “You’re sending me so many signals… I’m confused!”

 

“You’re right, I shouldn’t have done that.” Aiden said, then began to maneuver away, but then he was suddenly pulled back by Josh and drawn into another kiss.

 

This one was different; it was filled with pain and anger and Aiden could taste the salt of Josh’s tears as they rolled down his face.  They stumbled into the bedroom, breaking for air and to frantically tear off each other’s clothes.

 

When they reached the bed, they were both nude, Josh letting out soft gasps between the kisses.  They crashed down onto the bed and almost immediately, Aiden began to kiss down Josh’s torso.  Josh moaned, arching his back, then felt Aiden slip away for a second to retrieve something from the drawer.

 

Josh whimpered as Aiden prepared him, every nerve in his body just wanting to feel the closeness, skin against skin, the feeling that he would never lose him again.

 

Moments later, when Aiden came back up and positioned himself against Josh, he looked slightly conflicted, as if he was considering whether this was the right thing or not.

 

Josh leant up and gently kissed Aiden, confirming, “I’m alright.”

 

When Aiden’s hips moved, Josh let out a breath, his lips clashing against Aiden’s again.  One of his hands rested on the werewolf’s back whilst the other fisted in his hair.

 

“I love you.” Aiden whispered repeatedly into the crook of Josh’s neck, already embarrassingly entangled in the deep well of euphoria.

 

It didn’t take too long for them both to soar off the edge, Josh releasing a soft cry whilst Aiden groaned his lover’s name.  Their lips met once more and Aiden got off Joshua, allowing him to go and clean up before he returned, clambering next to his lover.

 

“We should fight more often.” Josh remarked, curling up against Aiden like a cat.

 

Aiden pressed his lips to the vampire’s forehead, retorting, “Unlikely.”

 

\--

 

“He’s not coming back, is he?” Kaleb pondered as Davina stared at her phone, debating on whether to call Josh or not.

 

Kol smirked, “At least  _ someone  _ is getting some.”

 

“Not funny.” Davina glared, “He could get  _ killed!” _

 

Kol rolled his eyes, “Don’t worry, my brother will get over this eventually.  He’s in a mood.”

 

“His  _ mood  _ is slightly homophobic.” Davina put her phone down.

 

Kol shrugged, “I don’t know if it’s  _ that.   _ It’s complicated.”

 

“And how did he react to you being bi?” Davina asked.

 

Kol flinched, “Finn was the more upset one.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Davina regretted what she had said.

 

Kol nodded, “L-Lets just watch this show, okay?”

 

\--

 

Meanwhile, back in the Mikaelson home, Rebekah was sitting in her room with Katherine.  As per usual with her visits, she had her music blaring from her stereo so that her brothers wouldn’t listen in.

 

Katherine rested her forehead against Rebekah’s, the two girls lying face each other, reading the other’s facial expression.

 

“You alright?” Katherine asked, her voice soothing.

 

Rebekah’s lip trembled, “It’s strange but I miss him, you know?  Despite everything, he  _ was  _ my brother.”

 

“My father tore away my baby when I birthed her.” Katherine explained, “And yet, when he died, I still mourned.  You’re not a bad person for loving him.”

 

Rebekah nodded and leant over to kiss Katherine softly, “What would I do without you?” she mumbled as she pulled away.

 

Katherine booped her nose adorably, “Who knows?”

 

\--

 

Back at the Gilbert house, Jeremy was sitting in his room with Elena, who was holding him close to her.

 

“I’ve missed this.” he stated, “I’ve missed feeling close to you again.”

 

Jeremy nodded, “So have I.”

 

“Now about Kol…” Elena began.

  
Jeremy interjected, “Don’t.  Please?  Look, I like him and I know what you’re going to say.”

 

“I’m happy for you.” she said, confusing Jeremy, “And I trust you, and you seem to trust him, so I will too.”

 

He smiled, “Thanks, Elena.”


End file.
